Radiant
by PotterPhantomKitten
Summary: AU. To many on Terracordis, humans are seen as dull at best and poison at worst. Of the few who see different, the Council's hopes rest on their project: Riley, aka RI, who has the appearance of a 11-year-old human girl. For Riley, being ridiculed for being part-human isn't easy. But maybe having a little Joy in her life can keep her stable. T for violence and Starnerve.
1. Consciousness

**A/N: Hey everyone! This was inspired by a weirdly awesome Inside Out dream that i had before the movie came out** **involving Riley being some sort of experiment-person who was observed by an Emotion Council. After the dream I figured it could be an interesting AU fic idea, so, I decided to try to give it a shot! There are a group of OCs in this, though Riley and the emotions from the movie will also be main focus characters, especially Riley and Joy.**

 **Disclaimer: Inside Out belongs to Pixar.**

* * *

The pressing of buttons and a faint murmuring were the only sounds that could be heard from the chamber. Of the two beings in the room, one was doing all the chatting.

The one who filled the silence with intent muttering was a thin, violet-colored being named Panic. He was checking up on the progress of the other being in the room, carefully getting close to the container. Panic took out a black pen from the pocket of his lab coat and lowered his glasses as he made several notes. _Energy pulse functioning; Ri is still unresponsive on a directly conscious level but showing signs of life._

Brushing his mop of scruffy hair out of his eyes, Panic twirled his pen in his fingers as he glanced at the being within the clear cylinder. Her body, about the size of a 11-year-old human, was curled in on itself, with a shimmering light-orange brightness that served as clothing, and straight strawberry-blonde hair falling over her face. Officially by document standards she was known as R.I., short for 'Radiant Intelligence", as an experiment. But more often than not in the analysis notes, only the R was capitalized to give the girl less of a designation and more of a name—that had been Delight's idea.

Panic glanced at Ri again, peering closely and looking for any significant movement. Ri's energy structure of particles was holding, her chest steadily rising and falling with each silent breath. Everything checked out okay for now.

He could see nothing out of the ordinary—her eyes were closed and, taking her stillness into account, she seemed as unresponsive as if she were in a coma. She basically _was_ in a coma, for all intents and purposes.

Now all they had to do was wait for her to wake up.

"You know _..."_ he said thoughtfully, turning to the being in the containment unit, "sometimes I worry that increasing the energy flow might hurt you". Another dial was pressed, causing the wires to pulse with energy and the container to brighten for barely a second. He looked carefully at her for any hint of response, of understanding, but all that happened was her structure, thankfully, becoming more defined. "We don't want to hurt you, we want to watch out for you." He cringed at the thought of anything happening. "You'll let us know if you're uncomfortable, right?"

As usual, Ri made no response. At least, not directly to him.

The human-like girl _had_ heard Panic speak, sort of. She was aware at least, of a voice speaking, but it was as if the voice was speaking through water. She couldn't see or move or get any idea on her surroundings aside from the speaker—she recognized it was the nervous voice this time.

With nothing else to do in her wavering states of awareness, Ri had kept track of the few voices she heard for company by their tones. She remembered primarily six—Nervous (who she thought was sweet), Stern (who she disliked), Bored (who she didn't care for one way or the other), Gloomy (who sounded sad a lot but at least eased the loneliness), Friendly (who brightened her mood) and Chatterbox (who was her favorite—certainly the one who talked most).

"I-I'm sure you'll wake up soon. You're a strong girl, right?"

Ri vaguely heard Nervous talk again before she began to fall into unconsciousness once more. She had heard him clearer that time, for once able to make out words, heard about waking up and her being strong... but she didn't feel strong enough to do that. Not yet.

Panic's interactions were picked up by a security camera on the wall, which one of his colleagues looked through with interest in the central room of their building. The large room was nicely furnished, crimson red covering the carpeted floor and cherrywood walls. Memory orbs of all different colors were lining the walls in rows that were positioned around a large square monitor system.

Getting up from where she sat and standing in front of the monitors, the one watching him, a blue-skinned emotion named Grief, struggled to rub the sleepiness out of her eyes as she observed what was going on in the laboratory chamber. Panic didn't seem too freaked out over Ri's state (which at least was something good), and Ri herself seemed reasonably stable. Not perfect as they wished, but it was something.

She got out a few more of the papers from the days before, comparing the notes. Ri's stability had been on a decline for a while, but now it was steadily improving, and Grief wondered if she would finally wake up soon. With the way her stability was going, she'd _have_ to, by necessity. The only alternative was that she'd disintegrate and die.

A ping drew Grief's attention, and she glanced at a monitor showing the data of Ri's energy signature, which Panic had just sent over. She frowned. The energy levels seemed to be a little less prominent than yesterday. She went to the speaker on the wall and pressed a button over it, opening the communication.

In the laboratory, a click was heard and a light turned on next to a speaker, causing Panic to look toward it. "Is Ri still stable?" he heard Grief ask.

He sighed, worry pricking at his heart. "She's holding, but she c-could be better. I'm sending you the documents now."

Grief could hear a slightly nervous tone in his voice, though that wasn't unusual for him. She wondered if at least part of his anxiety was due to how well Ri was doing. She couldn't blame him. Ri's particle stability had to be kept firmly in check, as close to 100% as possible. And hopefully, in time, the transfer from their realm to the human realm would prove successful, showing that a transfer from one state to the other was indeed possible. But Grief suspected preparing her for that would take weeks, if not months, when she did wake up. However long it took for Ri to be ready for it.

Assuming, of course, she survived.

Grief sighed, tucking a loose strand of hair back into her bun. If things did take a turn for the worse, she wondered how she was going to break the news to Delight. Delight had more of an attachment to Ri than the other members of the Council did, and Delight's teenage daughter Joy even more so. Though Grief had only talked to Joy directly a handful of times, she always was privy to how Ri's progress was, even though she wasn't allowed in the chamber itself when they were doing some of the more meticulous tests. But when she was around, Joy would end up aimlessly chatting with Ri about whatever was on her mind that day, even if she just had to imagine Ri's responses as she remained near the casing.

As Grief waited for the documents to come printing out of the slot to the right of the monitors, the door opened, and she couldn't help but have the barest hint of a smile cross her face in spite of Ri's progress. Delight practically bounced into the room, her blue ponytail practically flying behind her. As she started to remove some papers from the pocket of her white lab coat, Joy nearly crashed into her in enthusiasm, twirling her chartreuse dress in an enthusiastic dance.

"Joy," Delight said fondly. "Don't hurt anything."

"Come on, Mom," Joy said eagerly. "I can't help being excited! She was due to wake up today, right?"

"That's what we've been hoping for." Delight smiled at Joy's antics before turning to Grief. "So, how's Ri doing?"

Joy glanced at the monitor that gave them a view into the laboratory. "If she wakes up today, then it finally won't just be like I'm having a conversation with myself!". She grinned. "Although admittedly its kind of fun having conversations with myself."

Grief made sure to not look at Delight or Joy, not wanting to see the expressions on their normally bright faces when she told them. "You... might not want to get your hopes up."

The smile fell from Joy's face. "Why?"

Grief started organizing the documents, making sure that all of them were in the proper order. She sighed. "Ri... could be doing better."

Delight frowned in concern. "What's wrong?"

"Her energy input and stability were a bit low. Increasing the input increased her stability, but it nearly shorted out the system. We're hoping it will be enough to help her remain intact though."

"How low was it?". She knew that as far as Panic, being the main technician, was concerned, anything below 95% was a cause for anxiety.

Grief surveyed the documents that Panic had sent. "It was 83% earlier this morning, but now it's 88%. At least, it was a few minutes ago."

"Well, she's still mainly holding up, she'll get better!" Delight assured, trying to remain optimistic. After all, over 4/5's stability wasn't 100%, but at least meant that Ri wasn't going to disintegrate.

Joy frowned thoughtfully. She felt worried about Ri, as they all were, though she had something else on her mind as well. Sometimes the way they talked about Ri, especially the leader of the operations, Aggravation, had her seem more mechanical than alive. Even her name designation. "Ri" was just a shorthand, nothing more. She wondered if they might give her a different name, one that seemed a little more personable to help her feel a bit more welcome—of course, they'd have to ask her, and asking was difficult if she was unable to answer. With no other name to call her (especially with Aggravation enforcing it), "Ri" would have to do for the time being.

The speaker crackled to life again, and levers and dials could be heard being adjusted. "Her stability's at 95% now. Seems pretty steady, but I'm not sure how much longer she'll be asleep for. There's a chance she could wake up soon, but considering her fluctuations I can't be sure."

Grief was about to respond, only to turn as the door opened. A tall, blocky-looking emotion, Aggravation, entered, towering over Joy, his stern expression and red-orange coloring giving him an intimidating appearance.

"Heeyyyy Aggravation!" Delight said brightly as she darted in front of him, noticing her colleague's sour mood and hoping to get on his good side. "Ri's doin' well; Panic said she might even wake up today, isn't that great?"

The expression on Aggravation's face, however, made it clear that wasn't going to work in lightening his demeanor. "What exactly is her status?" he asked. His voice was gruff, with a definite no-nonsense attitude showing through in his voice, glancing at his coworkers suspiciously and ignoring Joy's presence entirely as if she didn't exist. "And _where_ is Contempt?"

The cheerful glow around Joy faded slightly. She had hoped she'd get to have more one-sided chatting with Ri today, even a two-sided one if they were lucky enough to have the energy-human wake up. But there was no idle chit-chat whenever Aggravation was into his stern demeanor. Just business.

Delight noticed her daughter's disappointment and gave her an encouraging grin. Joy smiled hopefully back.

"Contempt went downstairs to get coffee since not much was happening—"

Aggravation huffed at that remark. "There's always something..."

"—And Ri's stable for now," Grief went on quickly. "Her particles are holding good and she doesn't seem to be in any sort of discomfort." She paused, looking a bit uneasy, and just when it seemed she was about to continue, the wooden door opened and Contempt, a pistachio-shaded emotion with short forest-green hair, showed himself in, carrying five cups of coffee on a tray.

"Got one for each of us," he said in a drawl that Joy felt sounded like he was bored and disgusted with everything around him. "Though I think they didn't put enough sugar in mine and too much in the other ones."

"Do you _always_ find something to complain about?" Aggravation asked with a roll of his eyes.

* * *

Panic started to hum a little to himself as he double-checked the documentation and the scanner readings. Stability at 97%, and aside from those three missing increments Ri seemed otherwise healthy. Things were starting to go well again.

Meanwhile, Ri found awareness coming back to her, hearing Nervous-Voice's humming. Her hand twitched, and a realization dawned on her: _I can move._

Testing her newly-gained mobility, she hesitantly tried to move her hands and feet to get a feel of where she was. Despite her efforts, she could barely move, but the fact she could at all felt so liberating. She fought to open her eyes, and when the first rays of light shone through, giving her a view of the outside for the first time, she squeezed her eyes shut again. Too bright.

Her eyes opened a little wider as they became slowly more accustomed to light, revealing shimmering blue irises.

And Panic, who had just noticed as the equipment started to buzz wildly in activity and noise, looked like he was going to have a heart attack.

Now that she could see him, their eyes met, at least for an instant before Ri shut them again. Then slowly tried to open them once more. She struggled to focus, most of her vision still shielded by the closed darkness of her eyelids that she had known for so long. She wasn't sure where she was, even _what_ she was. All she was aware of was that there was way too much going on. The light was too bright and the machine's buzzing hurt her head and _if Nervous is here where are the others..._

"Ri... Y-You're awake..." Panic stammered, stumbling back before scrambling over toward the equipment again. "Y-You're awake! Ri's awake! RI'S AWAKE!"

* * *

Aggravation took his coffee along with the others, scrunching his face up a bit at the overly sugary taste, before he focused on Grief again. "You were saying?"

Grief cleared her throat, intimidated by Aggravation's look. "Ri's stable for now. But..."

"'But' _what_?" Aggravation demanded, placing his coffee down onto the desk. "Panic mentioned her energy was low but that was fixed, what else is wrong?"

Just as Grief was about to say more, the speaker let out a loud, static-y crackle causing all the emotions to cringe and Contempt's coffee to spill over him and onto the floor, making the green emotion at least thankful that he had worn a brown coat then.

"Aw dang it!" Contempt exclaimed, glaring at the speaker. "What was that f—"

But Panic's next words stopped Contempt. "GUYS! Come into the containment room! _NOW!_ It's Ri," he panted, sounding like he was on the verge of hyperventilating. "She's... she's..."

"She's _what_?!" Aggravation shouted with a glare, looking at the monitor (as did everyone) and noticing that the chamber was looking significantly brighter, and what they thought looked like movement in the containment chamber.

They noticed that rather than Panic strictly sounding, well, panicked, his tone was one of anxious excitement. "She's waking up! SHE'S AWAKE!"

Instantly, everyone was mobilized. It had worked. The energy formation had worked.

"Let's get over there!" Delight said with an excited cheer, practically flying out of the room with the others hot on her tail.

Joy felt an excited anticipation stir in her chest as she raced down the halls, the environment nearly a blur. Meeting up with her friends would have to wait. Ri was waking up. And she was there to see it.

 _Wait til I tell the others about this!_

* * *

 **A/N: First chapter done, yay! :D. And don't worry, the other Emotions are going to be showing up in the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed and remember to review!**


	2. Introductions

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews guys! Admittedly, the story is going in a different direction than it was when I first sat down to write it, though that's because I got better ideas, haha. :) As for the guest reviewer who said Ri's process of awakening reminded them of Mewtwo, that thought only crossed my mind as I was working on finishing up the chapter, which is kind of funny because I love Mewtwo. Anyway, in this chapter Ri will finally be introduced to the Emotions we're familiar with! So, here we go!**

 **Disclaimer: Inside Out belongs to Pixar, the Emotions' parents belong to me.**

* * *

In a large house a couple miles from the laboratory, Joy's four friends were seated in Disgust's living room. The TV was ready to be turned on, the popcorn bowls were set, and the five colorful beanbags were perfectly placed. Perfect for their weekly Movie Monday Night.

There was only one thing missing—or rather, one Emotion.

"Where's Joy?" Fear asked, twiddling his thumbs, trying not to let worry overtake him as he paced around, glancing at the door multiple times and expecting Joy to walk through it at any moment. "She was supposed to be here for Movie Monday half an hour ago!"

"Chill out, worrywart," Disgust scolded, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes. "She should get here soon."

Sadness sighed, collapsing on a light blue beanbag chair and sinking into it. "She probably went to talk to Ri again."

Disgust didn't even try to suppress her eyeroll. "Ugh, I don't know why she's so intent on talking to her that much. Ri can't even talk or move or do _anything_ yet _._ It's like talking to air!" She paused. "Air with really tacky-looking orange clothing."

"Joy doesn't seem to mind her," Fear pointed out, trying to defend his friend's enthusiastic attitude, despite his own misgivings about the human-like being.

"You're one to talk," Anger grumped, looking up from his newspaper to meet Fear's eyes. "You nearly ran out of the chamber as soon as you saw her!"

"I said stuff to her!" Fear felt heat rise to his face. Did Anger _have_ to remind him how he had embarrassed himself in front of Joy and his father?

"Yeah, one sentence." Anger turned back to his paper.

"I got nervous being in there!"

"You're afraid of her, aren't you?"

"I'm not afraid of Joy," Fear protested, blushing, "I—"

"I _meant_ Ri!"

Fear was about to bite back with a sharp response, but Anger's last sentence silenced him. He... well, he didn't really know _what_ to think about Ri. He had only went into Ri's chamber once, by request from his dad and with encouragement from Joy, saying a few quick words before scurrying out of there. Something about Ri's very nature unnerved him. She wasn't fully human, though she looked it, mostly lacking the look of energy particles that everyone else had. But she wasn't an Emotion like them, or any sort of Abstract. She was an in-between being that was unpredictable, and potentially dangerous. But he knew his dad cared for her, and Joy definitely did. If Joy and Panic could befriend her, so could he, right?

But his father was the main technician, so becoming used to Ri was kind of a requirement. And Joy... Joy was so open and bubbly and willing to talk to nearly anyone, no matter who or what they were. It was only natural for her to feel so open toward Ri.

Even so, they had cared for Ri when she was still developing, while she was still in that silent, curled up, comatose state that he had had a nightmare about once. When she _did_ finally wake up, what if things changed for the worse? He went over his mental list of 'Things That Could Go Wrong When Ri Wakes Up':

 _1\. Horror film-style murder spree._

 _2\. Black hole from disintegration instability._

 _3\. She dies and Joy is heartbroken._

 _4\. Dad or Joy dies from an excitement-induced heart attack._

 _5\. Ri goes rogue and tries to take over the world._

 _6\. Mechanical failure._

 _7\. Mental breakdown._

 _8\. Existential crisis._

 _9\. The building blows up._

The list went on and on.

"You're being paranoid," Anger said, breaking Fear out of his thoughts, barely even glancing up from his paper.

"Huh?". Fear hadn't realized that he had been muttering his list out loud, and quickly composed himself. "I am not!"

Anger only acknowledged him with a disbelieving grunt.

"I just hope she gets here soon," Disgust muttered, unable to help feeling grumpy. "She'd _better_ have a good reason for being late."

* * *

Ri managed to slowly reposition her body from being curled in on itself, feeling slightly disoriented at the change in position. She still had to squint to get used to the bright light, and the machines making that loud buzzing only served to confuse her more. Suddenly being awake and able to _see_ felt so perplexing now with all this abuse to her senses and unfamiliar territory.

The violet Emotion in front of her was pacing around excitedly. Now that she was properly awake, she could hear every word he said.

"You're up, you're actually _up_! You know, we were starting to think you _wouldn't_ wake up and I was trying not to freak out but now you seem fine!". He paused and looked at her. "You feel okay, right? Not hurt or anything, no fuzzy feeling of disintegration?"

Ri frowned. He asked her a question, and she had the capacity to respond, but she had never attempted to speak before. Before she was about to try, her attention was drawn to a nearby door opening, and a blue-haired being who was literally glowing flew into the room, with others soon following.

"Oh wow, you're awake!". The first one who entered bounced over in a few strides, grinning. "We're so glad you're okay!"

A smile crossed Ri's face, recognizing the voice as the Friendly one. One of the ones she liked.

Delight waved everyone in with an eager expression. "Come on, everyone, get in here, quickly!"

"Don't scare her." Panic called from the controls, his purple hair a mess like he had been in a marathon, and his glasses sliding down his nose. Joy tilted her head and saw that Panic had a long list of all of Ri's stability progress notes over the past few weeks, his eyes rapidly flicking back and forth from Ri to his coworkers to the papers. "I mean, too many of us at once could intimidate her, we don't know..."

 _He reminds me of Fear,_ Joy thought to herself fondly, _scribbling notes down on everything that could go wrong. Like father, like son._

"Oh, hey, good to see you!' he said in a rush. "Perfect timing!"

"I know!" Joy exclaimed, clapping her hands. "Oh man, this is so exciting, when I tell the others about this they are gonna FLIP!"

"Get her out of there." Aggravation's voice was abrupt, no-nonsense, shooting a slight glare at Panic.

"She can watch," Panic protested, especially since Joy was one who chatted with Ri the most. "She's been here—"

"I MEANT _RI_ , YOU IDIOT!" Aggravation shouted, causing the purple Emotion to jump and work the controls again among a few quick mutters of "Of course, my mistake."

Ri winced, the shouting not helping her headache and struggle to become more used to this world. So the large red-orange one was Stern, great. Why did _he_ have to be here? Couldn't just the others stay? She told herself to stay away from him as much as she could once she got out.

Panic hurried over to the control panel to lessen the volume of the equipment's alarms now that Ri was awake and stable. "Gotta be careful now, she may be disoriented at first."

"Looks fine to me," Contempt said bluntly, trying to use some water from a cooler to get the coffee stain out from his clothes.

"You never know," Panic insisted, pulling buttons and levers and allowing the wires to disconnect.

Ri suddenly felt less floaty as the atmosphere suspending her in the tube vanished, causing her feet to make contact with the cold floor of the containment as she stumbled. Though she accidentally hit her head on the glass, she managed to reach her hands out to press against the walls for support and to avoid any more potential injury.

Grief winced in sympathy. "That looked like it hurt."

"Oh crap!" Panic exclaimed, rushing over so that he was nearly touching the glass. "Ri, you don't have a concussion, do you?!"

"A bump like that wouldn't concuss her," Aggravation said dismissively before Ri could even attempt to get a word out. "Just get her out of there."

Looking carefully to make sure that Ri wasn't terribly injured, Panic ran back over to the controls and pushed some more buttons to make the cylinder open at last.

"Aaallllright, all done!" Panic called. "Welcome to the world, Ri!"

She was out. She was free.

Taking a deep breath—a breath that caused her to cough a little from the sudden rush of air pouring into her lungs—Ri stepped down from the platform and onto the tiled floor, looking cautiously at the others. Now that she could interact with them, nothing separating them except those feet of empty space... she suddenly felt a little self-conscious. It was one thing to hear their voices, but now...

Joy sprang into action, crossing the gap between them in three hops. As Ri managed to steady herself, Joy noticed that Ri was a little taller than her own 4'2 height, now that they were standing on the same ground. "Wow, you looked so much smaller when you were curled up." She grinned. "How are ya, Ri? I'm Joy! _Man_ , my friends are gonna go nuts when they find out you're up! You doing okay?"

So, Chatterbox was actually called Joy. It was a start. And now the time had come where she could actually respond to Joy's chatter— _if_ she could get her body to cooperate. Speaking was something she could do, right? She just had to figure out how, her mind was still hazy... She had cognitive knowledge, but knowledge and ability were two different things. She swallowed, her throat feeling dry.

"You didn't hurt your head too badly, right?" Joy asked, her expression showing her slight concern.

"Don't rush her into answering, Joy," Delight said gently. "She's just waking up."

Ri tried to smile in what she hoped was a friendly way. "I'm..." She paused for a moment. It was a bit startling to hear her own voice for the first time, but she liked it. "I'm fine."

Joy's face lit up like a Christmas tree, and the glow around her brightened. "Great! Glad to finally talk to you!" She eagerly held out her hand and shook Ri's eagerly, relieved that her new companion's hand didn't feel all fuzzy like it was breaking apart.

Ri laughed a little, surprising herself. "Uh, same here."

The humored grin on her face warmed Joy's heart. She had gotten Ri to laugh, to feel more comfortable even though she had only been awake for less than five minutes. _All my talking with her must have paid off!_ She looked at her mother with an elated grin, then back to Ri. "Come on, Ri, I gotta introduce you to my—"

"Not. So. Fast," Aggravation interrupted as he put his hand up. "We have to make sure she stays here."

"What? Why?"

"She could still be unstable. She needs more tests."

Ri's smile turned into a frown. Was he serious? After finally waking up and being able to see the world she was part of, Mr. Stern-Voice wanted her to _stay_?

Delight looked at her superior. "But Aggravation—"

"No buts, Delight!" Aggravation barked. "It's not safe, she can't be exposed like that!"

Ri winced at his firm tone. The more she heard this guy talk, the more she wanted to get away from him. But how could she? She had just opened her eyes to this place of bright strangeness only minutes ago.

"He's um, right,". Panic felt sympathy for Ri and understood her plight, but her safety was top priority. Letting her wander off on her own without proper supervision wasn't at all a good idea.

"Guys..." Delight looked from Panic to Aggravation, noting the despondent, confused look on Ri's face. She crossed her arms. "We're supposed to let her learn about life, remember?"

"Within reason," Aggravation muttered.

"But no matter what, life isn't something than can be experienced just through telling her!" Delight insisted. She stepped toward Aggravation. "Life needs to be experienced. So _let_ her. An hour or two can't hurt, right?"

Their eyes met for an instant. Sometimes Delight's views were infuriating. Why did she have to be such a parent to the kid?

Aggravation let out a slow sigh. "Only—ONLY—if someone accompanies her. Someone responsible."

"I'll go," Panic instantly volunteered. He ran over and quickly got a few more monitors, counters, and arm bands. Ri felt a little uncomfortable at all the proddings and claps and beeps, but each only lasted for an instant and by Panic's tone of voice, things seemed to check out okay.

"Just one more thing, and this one we're taking with us!" He then hurried over to a silver cabinet next to the control system for the chamber, and rummaged through it before withdrawing a silver armband. "Aha!" He held it up triumphantly and hurried back over to Ri, grabbing her left arm and clasping the band around her wrist. Green numbers lit up on a panel to read "100%".

"What's this?"

Panic smiled kindly. "It's a stability monitor. To make sure your particles are holding up as they should. Which it sure seems like it in your case. No extreme particle fuzziness, you look more, well... human. Not that that's a problem."

Ri tried not to show any change in expression at that wording, but her confusion was written on her face. The word he used, "human", had no meaning to her, and it filled her with confusion. What did that word mean?

The way the purple one had said the word indicated something as a variant from what she was, like a difference. Ri looked down at her hand, and frowned. She looked back and forth from the others to her own skin—she didn't have a brightness like they did, and they had some weird shimmery particle-look that she could see her own hands lacked. Still, she was still one of them, even if her stable appearance didn't show it, right? That was what counted, right?

"It's just for precautions," Grief added, trying to offer a smile toward Ri. "We want to make sure you'll be okay."

Their caring put the uncertainty of her nature out of Ri's mind for the moment.

"So we can go now?" Joy asked eagerly, practically bouncing.

"Sure can!" Panic grinned in pride that Ri was actually up and walking around, before a worried look suddenly overtook him as he stopped short. "But if that reading falls below 95%, we're coming _right back here_."

"Panic," Delight said gently. "Ri's up and fine now. I think we can afford a bit of leeway. She went down a few percentage points below that in the containment chamber and she didn't break apart. She'll be fine!"

Panic darted his eyes around, thinking. "Alright, 85%. But _anything_ below that, even just for a _second_ , we're getting back here, no exceptions—oh, I almost forgot!" He took Ri's wrist once more and pressed a small black button on the armband's side. "Now a tone will go off if it gets below 85, so we don't have to keep checking it.". He glanced away a bit. "Though it might be a good idea anyway..."

"I think she'll _feel_ if she starts to disintegrate," Contempt pointed out.

"If you feel it, it's nearly already too late," Panic countered, crossing his arms.

"You've never seen anyone disintegrate," Grief reminded him, looking a little worried herself.

"Can't be too careful."

Ri smiled, grateful for the precautions. But more importantly, she wanted to leave with Joy and see what was beyond this laboratory room. What was the world like out there?

"So, can we go now?" Joy begged. "Please, please, please?"

"Oh don't be such a child," muttered Aggravation. 'I guess... you can go for now. But STAY under watch, and if there's any sense that something might be wrong, she's coming back."

Ri wanted to protest, but she figured she didn't have much of a choice.

"Great! Come on, Ri, I'll take you to Disgust's house!". She turned and waved to Delight. "Bye, Mom!"

"Bye, honey!" Delight called just as eagerly, raising her hand in a little wave. "Have fun!"

Holding on to Ri's hand, Joy zoomed out of the lab with Panic hurriedly following and shouting "Wait up!", and the three were gone before anyone else could say, "see you later".

Contempt followed with a bored sigh. "I can go after 'em, going home anyway.". With that, he turned back before leaving. "Panic and me will make sure Ri's unharmed and comes back soon."

With that, only half of the team members were left.

Aggravation put a hand over his face, looking distinctly unamused. "You know Ri wasn't created to be a playmate."

Delight nodded. "Yeah, but come _on_ , Aggravation!" Her smile brightened, already feeling quite fond of Ri. "What's life if you cant live it? We still ought to let her have a little fun!"

Aggravation's fists clenched. Even though Panic and Contempt were with Ri, he swore to remind them that Ri was created for the mission.

Like it or not, eventually she'd have to go to Earth. But he'd let Delight's opinion slide this once. After all, two members of the team were with her.

It was just Delight's daughter who could potentially be a danger.

* * *

"...And Anger's Aggravation's son. He's the shortest even though he's older than us, late-20's..."

Along the way, Joy had been chatting with Ri about the town, her friends, and who was related to who when comparing the adults at the lab to them. And while Ri had been eagerly listening with half of her attention, the other half was focused on taking in the sights of the colorful world around her.

The laboratory building, as in turned out, was shaped similarly to a giant flask, the silver structure glinting in the light of the setting sun. In contrast, the other scattered buildings appeared bright and colorful, lights all around nearly blending together in a blur.

"What's that?" Ri guessed that was about the fifteenth time she had asked that question, but she couldn't stop herself. Everything seemed so amazing and wonderful and bright. Her question this time had been directed at a large, colorful pinwheel that towered overhead a good distance from the city, spinning slowly.

Panic smiled fondly at Ri's inquisitive nature. Contempt rolled his eyes.

Luckily, Joy didn't mind her questions. "That's what we call a Plutchik Wheel. It's like a ride that can allow us to see everything, even beyond the city!"

"There's more?" Ri felt so overwhelmed by the vastness of the city that it seemed like it was a whole world unto itself.

"Of course! The city just seems so big because you're new, you'll get used to it—in fact," she practically spun around and grinned, gesturing to the environment around them, "me and the rest of Team Happy could give you a tour tomorrow!"

Ri chuckled, arching her brow. "Team Happy?"

"Our name for our gang, it was my idea." Joy looked proud of herself for coming up with the name.

The energetic emotion started to talk more, but something else drew Ri's attention: the people they saw. There were only a few on the street, but most of them had skin and hair that were a similar shade, just as was the case for most of the team at the laboratory, though there were a few exceptions.

But all of them, not just those she knew from the lab, had that same shimmery-particle look. And all of them who noticed Ri were staring at her. Some looked away almost as soon as they had turned, but others held their gazes for a time.

Ri got that self-conscious feeling again and tried to ignore them. Were they staring at her because she was someone new in the city, or were they staring because she was different? But she didn't want to bring her concern up to Joy, or Panic, or Contempt—if they just focused on getting to their destination, things would be fine.

Joy slowed her pace, coming to a stop in front of a large building. "Well, here we are at Disgust's house!"

Ri took in the view of the house in front of her, the glancing stares of the others taking a backseat in her mind for the time being. It was three stories tall, with a pointed silver roof and what looked like a shiny green brick for the house's structure.

"I'm guessing her family likes green," Ri said with a small grin.

"Yeah," Joy said, "they're thinking about redecorating though. Anyway, come on!" She bounded up to the front door and rang the doorbell, letting a light 'ding-dong' reverberate through the front of the house.

"My friends might not hear it since they're likely in the living room," Joy added, "but Disgust's mom Revulsion will probably answer."

Just as soon as the sentence had left Joy's mouth, the ornate door opened to reveal an Emotion who was about Ri's height and looked quite similar to her daughter, aside from her hair being a good deal curlier. "Well Joy, Panic, good to—who's this?"

"This is Ri," Joy exclaimed. "She—"

"Oh, hello there, Ri! Contempt was saying the other day you'd probably wake—what in the _world_ are you _wearing_?!" She gestured to Ri's outfit and looked a bit repulsed, recoiling as if in horror.

"Uh, they just gave me it," Ri admitted, not exactly feeling this was the best first impression. At least Revulsion seemed pleased to see her and not scrutinizing, aside from her outfit.

Revulsion looked like she wanted to smack whoever had given Ri those clothes. "I _swear_ they have _no_ taste at that lab—"

"That was Aggravation's idea," Contempt commented with a shrug.

"And neither of you said anything?" she looked from her husband to Panic before shaking her head. "Well, Ri, sometime we are going to have to get you some more suitable clothes. Maybe I have something in your size—but, we'll take care of that later." She hurriedly waved them inside. "Come in, come in, Disgust and the others have been wondering when you were going to show up! They're right in the living room."

"Thanks!" Joy called cheerfully, happily humming to herself as she hurried down the halls with Ri following after her. Panic followed behind them silently, glancing nervously at Ri's stability monitor bracelet every so often.

Now that they were just a short distance away from meeting Joy's friends, Ri frowned in thought, raising her voice to get Joy's attention. "Uh, Joy?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think they'll like me?"

Joy went over to her and squeezed her hand. "They are gonna love you, Ri. I mean, sure they may have to get used to you first, being new and all, but that shouldn't take too long!" She moved in front of Ri and put her hands up. "Now wait right here for a minute, and I'll introduce you!". She stopped and turned to Panic. "Um, I can, right?'

Panic looked a bit anxious, but the hopeful look on Joy's face and the cautious look on Ri's had him reconsider—he could barely say no to such hopeful enthusiasm. He took a deep breath and nodded. Joy's friends were a good bunch, they wouldn't hurt her.

She hurried over a few feet and opened the door, causing her friends to turn. "Hey, everyone!"

" _Finally_!" Anger exclaimed, setting his paper down. "At least you got here before Fear had a conniption."

"I was just worried because you were half an hour late!" Fear exclaimed, running over and hugging Joy. Joy eagerly hugged back.

"Why were you late anyway?" Sadness asked, finally getting up from the beanbag chair.

"Did something happen?" Disgust looked curious, able to tell that Joy was holding something back. "There has to be some reason."

Joy looked so excited that she bounced in the air for a moment. "Oh yes, something happened!"

"Were you hurt?" Fear asked worriedly.

"Nonono, it was a good happening!" Joy gripped Fear's hand excitedly. "I have a surprise for you guys!"

Before her friends could inquire what it was, Joy sped out of the room for a second before they could hear excited talking. She quickly returned with her guest, her expression alight. "Say hello to Ri!"

The four other emotions stared in shock. Ri was _here_. She was awake and walking and staring at them with a hopeful curiosity.

The silence was then broken by Fear yelping and jumping back, looking as if he were expecting the girl's particles to disperse and attack them (which was in fact point number 19 on his aforementioned list even though said particles weren't visible). Though the others didn't react as strongly as Fear did, they didn't look too keen to approach either. Ri was just so... _different_ from them. Not just from emotions, but from any sort of being of their world. She wasn't bright, she didn't shimmer, she didn't glow, she didn't have that particle-look about her like she did at 83% stability. She was too... _human_. And that unnerved them.

 _And she's_ still _wearing that unflattering orange outfit,_ Disgust thought, recalling the couple times she had entered the lab.

Joy smiled in an attempt to ease their worries. "Guys, it's okay! Ri's not gonna hurt you!"

Ri tried to smile as well as she looked at Joy's friends. They really did bear a pretty strong resemblance to their parents who she recognized. She didn't think this was exactly the "they're gonna love you" response that Joy had assured her of, but she had to make the most of it. She waved at them slightly. "Hi everyone."

After a few moments of silence, Anger decided to be the first one to speak. "So, uh, you're finally awake, huh?"

She nodded, stepping closer at Joy's encouragement and holding out her hand, kneeling down. Joy sure wasn't kidding when she said Anger was short, though she decided not to bring that up. Not the best way to make a first impression.

Anger paused, but he shook her hand. "Nice to meet ya."

"Nice to meet you too," Ri said, at least glad that one of them approached her instead of fleeing.

The moment Anger had finished, Disgust stepped closer to Ri and looked as repulsed as her mother. "What do they think they're having you be in, _prison_?!" She shook her head. "If Mom were on the Council instead of Dad, she NEVER would have let that slide! Don't you have anything else to wear aside from that tacky thing?"

Ri shrugged. "Your mom mentioned she might have something in my size."

"Yeah, but the question is will it fit you in _atmosphere_ ," Disgust pointed out. "The more fashionable clothes don't work on everybody, I should know."

"Drama queen," Anger muttered. Disgust ignored him.

"Hi, Ri." Sadness stepped closer, but only waved a little. "I'm Sadness." It was clear she didn't have much more to say, but she did manage a smile.

Joy moved a bit closer to her last friend, noticing his anxiety. "Fear? Come on, say hello! She won't hurt you!"

Fear blinked, wide-eyed, only taking a cautious step toward her that was barely noticeable.

Fear's mannerisms confused Ri. According to Joy, he was Panic's son, and she could see the family resemblance, though Fear was a lighter shade and sported just one strand of hair. But how could Panic be so kind and caring toward her while Fear seemed terrified at her even being there? She tried to reach out to him. "I'm not that scary, am I?"

Joy gave Fear a pleading look, and he couldn't help but give in. "Fine..." He glanced at her quickly, but didn't step closer. "I'm Fear, Ri... nice to meet you." He was clearly still wary, but the fact she hadn't attacked him yet was at least of some comfort, and Joy was fine.

Ri at least felt relieved that Fear hadn't absolutely refused to speak to her. "Glad to be here.". And despite the unease of the others, she meant it—at least, it beat being curled up alone, blind, and half-deaf in the chamber.

"So," Joy exclaimed, gesturing to her friends and pulling them in all for a hug, "now you know the names of all the members of Team Happy!"

Anger groaned, finding a further annoyance along with the group hug. "You told her about that?"

"Well if she didn't before, she did now," Disgust pointed out.

All of a sudden, Joy's eyes lit up, and the glow around her brightened. "Oohhh, I just got a GREAT idea!". She quickly spun the others around so they were now in kind of a group huddle. "Give us just a minute, Ri!"

As the group talked, Ri tried to listen on the conversation, only picking up a few phrases.

"You serious?"

"Bad idea."

"Aggravation will kill you!"

"Come on, Ri deserves this!"

After another minute of back-and-forth conversation, culminating with Joy mentioning their "Team Happy" name again as a way of encouragement, the five broke out of their huddle and started to walk out. Joy eagerly gestured for Ri to follow, looking like she had just got an early birthday present. "Come on, Ri!". She pulled the taller girl into a hug. "This idea calls for a celebration!"

Ri felt a little stunned by Joy's sudden bounciness and closeness, but she was glad to be included. "Why? Where are we going?"

"Off to the part of the house that has the library," Joy said, "because we're gonna do something _very_ important."

The weight in Joy's words intrigued Ri. "What's that?"

Joy turned to face Ri with a broad grin, looking as if her next words would be one of the most important announcements she'd make in her life. The aura around her body shone in excitement.

"We're gonna give you a new name!"

* * *

 **A/N: Yeah, no prizes for guessing what Ri's new name is gonna be. ;) This chapter was a lot longer than I initially anticipated, but I wanted to get to the point where Ri actually interacted with Joy's friends. Fun factoid: the Plutchik Wheel that Joy pointed out to Ri is basically a physical version of Robert Plutchik's Wheel of Emotions. Check it out on Wikipedia sometime' :)**

 **Also, as another note, I'm trying to think of potential voice-actors for the parents of the Emotions to give an idea of what they sound like in my head. For now, I'm considering Delight to have the voice of Ellen DeGeneres. :) Hope you enjoyed and remember to review!**


	3. Ri's New Name

**A/N: Happy Memorial Day weekend! As a treat, have chapter 3, where Ri finally gets her proper name! :). Now, before the chapter starts, I'd like to announce cartuneslover17 as Radiant's new cowriter! You rock! :)**

 **Disclaimer: I own the main Emotions' parents, and the setting. Inside Out belongs to Pixar.**

* * *

Joy and the others sat in the library, all of them except Fear sitting in a series of wooden chairs that had been moved from a table close to the entrance. As for Fear, he was down the hallways of the bookshelves, searching for the books on names that he claimed to remember having seen before. Though the others were sitting in more-or-less a circle, they were each absorbed in their own going-ons, which Ri was carefully observing.

Anger was reading his paper again. Disgust was looking through a fashion magazine that was spread out on the table (muttering on occasion on how some outfit or other "went out of style last year". And Sadness just seemed to not want to make eye contact and be lost in her own thoughts. With Fear out of sight, Ri wondered if Fear had maybe found the name book five minutes earlier, or at least very quickly after he started. Maybe he was just _pretending_ he hadn't so he wouldn't have to be around her.

Noticing they didn't seem the most willing to strike up conversation, Ri glanced at the band on her arm that Panic had given her. Still at 100% and fully stable.

 _That's one good thing_ , she thought.

It wasn't like there would be any dangers in a wide library such as this. Save for a risk of falling books probably, but still, nothing to be worried about. However, the one thing Ri _did_ worry about was whether or not she was going to bond with these other emotions. Since before she could even speak, she and Joy clicked very well, being ome of the closet things she had to a companion in that immeasurable amount of time before she had awoken. As for the others, it was no guess that they were still discomforted in her presence.

While Joy sat close by her, rambling on about the wondrous things she couldn't wait to show her, Ri felt her self-esteem deflate just a little. The other four were not Joy, especially the purple one who resembled his dad so much. Despite Joy being nice to her, the prescence of the others was still awkward. Fear himself still kept some distance, which furthered Riley's assumptions he was taking longer just to avoid her. Although the thought hurt, she couldn't blame him. He was taking baby steps, like the way Ri was when it came to this whole new world. All it needed was some patience.

But if patience didn't work, was there really any hope?

Joy glanced away from Ri, furrowing her brows as she stared in the direction Fear had left. _Hmm, he's been gone for a while,_ Joy thought to herself. _I wonder what's taking him so long..._

"We don't have all night to come up with a name," Disgust reminded them, swiveling her chair around. "This is supposed to be 'Movie Monday Night', not 'Name-a-Newbie Night'."

Joy couldn't help but chuckle a little. No matter what, Ri was going to get a name. "Well, tonight it is!"

Disgust facepalmed, and even Ri couldn't help but let an amused smile cross her face. It was small, and brief, but it was there.

Joy's smile instantly broadened at noticing Ri's expression, lifted even somewhat out of her sense of apartness. _Ri smiled, instant bonus!_

"I think you guys are forgetting one thing," Anger said, briefly looking up from his paper to Joy. "Ri has to be brought back to the lab soon, doesn't she?"

Both Joy and Ri frowned at that. Joy had rushed them out so quickly in eagerness to see the city that what time they should go back to the lab hadn't crossed their minds at all. How long would they have before they had to go back? And _where_ was Ri going to stay? She couldn't just sleep in the lab, right?

"Well, uh," Joy hurriedly tried to come up with an answer. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there!"

"Always the optimist." Disgust commented, getting up to place her fashion magazine on the table. "Point is, we gotta finish this up pretty quick."

"Which we would have if SOMEONE had found the name book already!" Anger exclaimed with a frustrated snarl, his patience finally wearing thin as his voice rose with each word.

"I'm looking as fast as I can!" Fear protested from down in one of the aisles. Even though the library was in Disgust's house, he had looked through it pretty often when they hung out, just in case there was any disaster he had to look up.

Fear subconsciously bit his tongue the moment the words left his mouth, as if his body was punishing him for lying. He had been gazing over the same five books in front of him for the past three minutes, more focused on memorizing each imperfection in their ridges than finding what he was supposed to be looking for. In truth, he knew exactly where the name books were—third aisle left of his current position, top shelf—he had went past there several times to keep up the illusion of an intent search. But he didn't want to move forward with this. He didn't want to potentially have Joy get in trouble with Aggravation (which he knew was almost certain to happen no matter how adamant Joy was). And he didn't want to help Ri.

But with Joy's insistence, he didn't have much of a choice.

It wasn't that he wanted to be cruel to Ri, he just didn't have the same courage his father possessed. Panic shared the same attributes as his son, but even he could take more than a minute looking Ri in the eye without flinching and wanting to hide. After all, he had been watching over her since her first forms of process. As much as Fear wanted to be like his dad, Ri still frightened him. And no doubt the others felt the same.

He just hated to disappoint Joy. She was the last person he wanted to upset...

"ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A DANG BOOK, OR ARE YOU JUST WASTNG TIME ON PURPOSE?"

He nearly tripped over his own shoes, Anger's roaring tone echoing throughout the library. He almost thought all the books would fall and create an avalanche, creating a domino effect on every shelf, completely burying them all in history and literary terms. And then they would have to spend hours trying to swim through the mess before they would be able to seek freedom. Then possibly his father would arrive here, demanding where Ri was, he'd probably have an episode seeing what harm she had been through...

"I'm coming!" he called, trying to sound like Joy. It wasn't working. No one could sound like her.

After a few moments of staring at the book he had passed various times, he reluctantly picked it off its slot. It felt even heavier in his hands as he trudged toward the others. As he found himself nearing the group, his eyes fell on Ri. Her non-particled hair draped over the side of her face, barely showing her eyes which fell to the floor.

Had she suspected anything? Had she been aware of what Fear had been doing this entire time? Oh, geez...

However, she was the least of his worries as Fear looked down at a very foul-faced red emotion. Anger grunted under his breath, gripping his newspaper as he glared daggers at him.

"Oh, took you long enough!" he growled. "Seriously, how hard is it to find a dang name from a dang book?"

Both males glanced to see Disgust inching her head into the argument. Her green eyes glanced over her shoulder, particularly on Joy and Ri who were too busy absorbed in each other. Sadness decided to join in, to try and appease both of them, especially the latter. Despite her usually mellow mood and quiet personality, she was doing a lot better compared to the three other emotions. It was simply small talk, but it was a lot better than what Fear could have done.

Making sure they were out of earshot, Disgust turned back to Anger and Fear. Her eyes peered at the latter, folding her arms.

"It's because of her, huh?"

Fear's eyes widened. He let out a scoff, which was more like a raspberry given he nearly spat in the others' face. Disgust pulled her head back, trying not to gag at the gesture.

"What, me?" the purple emotion denied, composing himself as being purely innocent. "No! Come on!"

Anger let out a scoff of his own, not buying Fear's denial. "Come on, we all know you're afraid of her."

"I—"

"You were taking so long just because you were avoiding her, right?!"

Fear felt as if walls of pressure were closing in on him. Anger's shouting and knowing he was right and Ri being only a few feet away. "Okay, okay!" he exclaimed while managing to keep his voice low. "You're right, I was hiding from Ri."

"You do realize that by staying over there, you technically are being around her longer, right?" Disgust quipped.

Fear opened his mouth to respond, then closed it just as Joy spoke up.

"Oh, Fear! You got the book?"

"Y-Yeah," he stammered, noticing the glances from the other emotions.

"Well, come on!". She waved over to him with an enthusiastic grin. "Bring it over here and I can help find a name!"

Fear felt as if the book had gotten heavier in his hands. Not just because he had been holding it for an extended length of time, but because Joy wanted him to come over there and give it to her. And to do that, he'd have to go near Ri. Who was practically right next to Joy.

 _Why me?_ he thought to himself.

The moment he and Ri made eye contact, he almost wanted to scurry farther into the library. But that would be embarrassing, and it would not only hurt Ri, but Joy as well. Sadness, from his perspective, appeared to be on better terms with said individual. Not to say they were exactly BFFs, but at least they got along better than than he ever could.

When Ri gazed into his eyes, she offered her best smile. It came out more like a wince, given that she still felt so awkward around Fear. And Disgust. And Anger. Sadness still seemed quite sweet despite her quiet attitude, one of the few to actually offer a genuine smile. At least she didn't flinch as much in the part-emotion's presence. Part of Ri wondered if she and Joy were, by any chance, related. After all, they both had blue hair and blue eyes, they almost seemed identical.

"Alright, just open that book and we can start searching!" Joy exclaimed happily as she gestured for Fear to hurry.

Said emotion gulped, wishing it could have been Disgust who did the job. After all, this was her house. But he did as Joy told him, his skin shivering as he neared Ri's side. She said nothing as he plopped the book on a nearby table. Opening it in mid-page, words greeted the five emotions and Ri.

"We're not seriously going to read every single page, are we?" Anger whined. "Who even does that anymore when we got phones?"

Disgust rolled her eyes. "A name can't be that hard to find."

"Only if you want the name to sound really special!" Joy chirped as she gently pushed into Fear, gazing over the pages. "Hey, Ri, come over here!"

The part-emotion looked at her strangely. Feeling more reluctance than obligation, she slowly trudged toward her before she found Joy wedged between her and Fear. The purple emotion dared not look in her direction, his eyes and nose leaning toward the book, a gesture of avoidance that Ri noticed instantly. Both watched as Joy's index finger slowly trailed down the page, having opened directly on 'R'.

"Hmm...well, Rover is out of the question..."

"Unless you want her to feel like a dog," Disgust muttered.

"Just try to focus on the names that can be used for GIRLS," Anger demanded, his impatience clear. "Otherwise we'll be here all night!"

"No need to be huffy, Anger," Joy called brightly. "We'll find one!"

It was then that Sadness spoke up, raising her voice a little to be heard. "Maybe you should go back to the R-Is."

"Huh?"

"If it starts like her old name, Aggravation might not, you know," Sadness mumbled, "get as mad."

Joy paused. On the one hand, leaving Ri's designation behind aside from that first letter could boost her confidence. On the other hand, Aggravation might be so against it that he'd prevent Ri from interacting with Joy ever again, which would likely destroy what self-esteem Ri had.

In this case, listening to Sadness was a good idea. Joy flipped back a few pages to get to the R-i's.

"Okaaayy, how about Ria?" Fear asked, reading the first name he saw and just wanting to get it over with.

Joy peeked over at the meaning and instantly frowned. "We are NOT giving her a name that means 'sea of bitterness'!"

Fear looked sheepish. "It was just an idea!" He scanned down a few more names. "What about Riba?"

Joy read the meaning and looked at him queerly. "A name that means 'cattle stall'?! No way!"

"I feel bad for whoever has that name," Sadness said.

"Would Ribliya work?"

"Oh for the love of all things imaginative!" Anger exclaimed. "Could you actually read the meanings and not just blurt out every third name or so?!"

Fear flinched, falling silent.

"Calm down guys, we'll find one!" Joy assured, smiling a little at Ri. "It has to be special!"

They went down a few more names.

"Richi, no, 'powerful ruler' doesn't quite fit. Kinda like the 'e' sound of the ending though..."

"It does sound pretty nice," Sadness reasoned.

"Rickelle means 'ewe'..." Fear muttered.

Disgust arched her brow. "What's so eww about it?"

Joy started laughing a little. "He means 'ewe' as in a lamb."

"Oh."

Ri, of course, just stared in confusion.

Finally, Joy came to a stop in the middle of a page. She read over the name and meaning once, then twice more. "Riley... it means 'courageous'."

A name that meant 'courageous'? Ri wondered if that was really the right name for her. She certainly didn't feel very courageous—in fact, she felt quite the opposite, with everyone staring at her or avoiding her or both...

"What do you think of that?"

Ri had forgotten that she had been spoken to. When she lifted her gaze, she nearly gasped when all five of them looked at her. Just when she thought she felt out of place being avoided, she felt extremely awkward with everyone just staring at her like some messed up experiment. Well, she had been an experiment, but not messed up. At least, she hoped not...

She fiddled with her fingers, hunching her shoulders as she tried to form an answer. The name 'Riley' just didn't sound like it would fit for someone like her. She had not done anything "courageous", and such a name seemed more deserving for someone that was not her.

"Gee, I don't know..." she murmured quietly.

"Aw, come on!" Joy encouraged, nudging her. "I think Riley sounds like a great name!"

"It sounds so..." Ri tried to come up with the right statement, "...strong."

Joy gave her a sweet smile, her skin glowing almost too bright for Ri's eyes to take. "Well, you woke up after being in that container for so long, didn't you?" she pointed out. "That was strong right there."

Ri felt her cheeks tighten, feeling mildly embarrassed as the yellow emotion kept grinning at her. Always with the compliments, it was no wonder Ri liked her even before she could move from that container.

Both turned the moment they heard Anger groan. The red emotion was growing more impatient, rather wanting to sit on his beanbag and watch a movie than stand around in this boring library.

"Can we just stick with that name and be done with this?" he grunted. "Seriously, just stick with it and let's be done!"

"I so agree," Disgust huffed, folding her arms. "Seriously, I want to go back to Movie Night. So can we just give her the name Riley and go back now?"

Joy turned back to Ri, reading her expression carefully. The blonde merely nodded, offering the tiniest smile of appreciation. That gesture was more than enough for Joy.

"Alright then!" she said happily. "Riley it is!"

Sadness nodded at this. "Aggravation won't sense a thing. He'll just assume it's a pet name and not think much into it." She paused. "Hopefully."

Riley smiled a little at the blue emotion's support, though she felt a twinge of unease at the last word.

"Great!" Fear muttered, forcing a smile as he tried not to look at Ri... or rather, Riley. "I guess we're done here."

"Finally!" Disgust scoffed as she threw her hands up. "Just toss that book away. The popcorn's going to get stale by the time we get back."

She then turned to the semi-emotion who bit her lip.

"Well, looks like you got your new name...Riley."

The blonde just nodded, unsure of what else to say. Disgust's tone didn't sound exactly vile, but she didn't sound interested in the newfound name either. It was almost sarcasm.

"T-thanks..." Riley herself murmured, just barely enough for any of them to hear.

"You're welcome!" Joy said eagerly, having heard Riley's quiet comment. The others hurried off to the living room again, though Joy made sure to stay with her part-emotion friend so she wouldn't feel isolated. "This is so great, Riley!" she exclaimed, beaming, clearly liking the way her friend's new name sounded. "You got your name, we all can watch a movie, I'm sure we have an extra beanbag..."

Riley was about to respond to Joy's chatter, but the group suddenly heard a pair of voices from the front hall. One was Revulsion, and the other was a dull-sounding voice that Riley recognized from her days in the containment chamber.

"OKay, where's Ri?"

"She went with Joy to talk to her friends," Panic said hesitantly. He knew that Joy was a good girl, and she knew the lab almost as if she worked there. But he also knew that Ri might be unpredictable.

"Oh, she and Joy went to the living room, they should be—" Revulsion paused, having turned and noticed the group. "Oh, there they are! Ri, you're needed. Well, Contempt and Panic too, but you especially."

"Oh come ON!" Disgust exclaimed, nearly throwing her hands up in the air. At that rate they were never going to get to watch a movie.

Contempt noticed them and gestured with his hand, not yet removing his jacket. "Ri, you need to come back to the lab. Now."

"Sorry," Panic apologized, not liking to see Ri disappointed but he knew it had to be done.

"W-What?". Riley automatically didn't like the idea. After she had just gotten a new name, and interacted with the others more, now she had to leave?

"You're staying there for the night. Aggravation's orders."

Neither Riley nor Joy noticed Fear nearly collapse in relief. She wouldn't be around them after all.

"Why?" Joy asked, hurrying up to the foyer where Contempt and Panic were with Riley in tow. "We were having fun, and—"

Panic glanced nervously at the pair, but tried to be firm. After all, this was for Ri's sake, and Ri had been kept too far away from the lab. "She'll need to be looked after to make sure nothing happens. She could be unstable since she just woke up a while ago, and even having her here was a risk." He took Ri's hand, trying to be gentle. "You need to go back now."

"But—" Joy tried to cut in.

"If you have any complaints," Contempt retorted, "take it up with Aggravation."

Joy looked from Contempt to Panic to Riley. No way was she going to abandon her new friend. "Then I'm going back with you."

"Suit yourself," Contempt said with a shrug. "Come on."

Joy took Riley's other hand and called over her shoulder as Panic and Contempt bid Revulsion farewell. "I'll be back later guys!"

"Oh FORGET IT!". Anger's head was set alight as he stormed back into the living room, the others following behind.

Riley frowned. Anger's reaction wasn't exactly helping her attempt at getting along with them.

For a moment, Fear paused and started to look back at Joy. But the moment he saw Riley, the thought left him immediately and he hurriedly followed the others. He felt disheartened, as they all did, that Joy was leaving them behind.

But at the very least Riley wouldn't be around.

* * *

As they walked back toward the lab, Riley felt that her new name was more and more unfitting. The city lights of buildings and things that sped along the roads (which Joy called "cars") and few emotions that were around (who gave her wary glances upon noticing her) seemed almost dizzying now as her mind tried to focus on anything aside from the building they were heading to. And if Contempt was right, they were gonna make her sleep there. Great.

"Don't worry, Riley," Joy assured her friend. "Everything will be okay."

Riley noticed Contempt turn at the mention of her name, and felt her heart drop like a stone. Contempt heard her name.

So had Panic. And he looked like he was about to faint from a heart attack. He hurried over to them and looked at Joy with terrified eyes.

"You. Named. Her?!". He hisse each word as if even saying it caused a threat of everything around them exploding.

"She deserves a name!" Joy pleaded in an equally hushed voice. "Continuing calling her Ri would be like calling you 'Father of Fear'!"

Panic frowned. He could sympathize, he really could. And Joy did have a point—Ri did deserve a name.

But he was certain Aggravation would kill them for it. Or at least threaten to.

Ri noticed Panic's unease, which only fueled her own. She liked Panic, and realized that he supported and cared for her (though defending her might be another matter). Contempt, however, she worried about. He'd tell Aggravation. Affectionate nickname or not, he might catch on.

And Riley was afraid how he'd react if he did. After all, Aggravation was head of the whole operation. Meaning he was in charge of her. She really didn't want to meet the guy again, especially after a failed attempt to even win his son over. Like father like son.

She felt Joy grip her hand tighter, as if assuring her that there were no demons for her to face. Just her first night as herself. As Riley. Or Ri if they were forced to throw away the other name. The blonde swallowed as Contempt regarded her for a moment before looking away, almost as if the new name had no affect on him. Maybe like Joy's friends he didn't care either.

It almost felt like no one did. She still mentally clung to those who actually considered her, like Joy, Delight, Panic, and maybe even Revulsion. And probably Sadness, at least she had been able to stand in her presence longer than any of the others had. Riley was thankful for that, even if it was still a small process. After all, the blue emotion hardly batted an eyelash when Anger bitterly chose their precious movie night over even watching her be taken away. Judging by his fouler mood, she couldn't help but assume they secretly blamed her for taking Joy away from them.

The four emotions had been incredibly disappointed when Joy chose to accompany her than enjoy their weekly Monday Movie Night. As if there wasn't enough to dislike about Riley, that was yet another point to add to the list of why she would never fit in with them.

But deep down she was glad Joy never left her. The little blonde was still frightened over where exactly she would be staying for the night. Every day she had been "forming" in that container, and it chilled her to imagine if that was to continue being her "sleeping quarter". And where was Joy going to sleep? She had her own home, her own bed. It made Riley feel rather guilty that Joy was making all these sacrifices just for her.

She held Joy's hand tighter, as if trying to steady herself. She was feeling a little tired...

"Hey, Riley."

She blinked and looked to see said emotion offer her a mellow grin. The aura that surrounded her form seemed rather brighter than usual, almost comforting.

"I'll be with you all night, okay?" Joy told her gently.

Riley wanted to smile, but the guilt was still bubbling at the pit of her stomach.

"I'm sorry you had to miss hanging out with your friends," she told her apologetically.

Joy scoffed, followed by a mild snort. "Oh, don't worry about it! The movie we picked up was going to be boring!" She leaned toward Riley, inching toward her ear. "It was Fear's turn to choose this time."

Riley pressed her lips together like a ribbon, suppressing the urge to giggle, an action that caused Joy to grin in turn. Knowing the usually anxious bundle of nerves, his choice of movie probably lacked a plot and any action sequences. And that would earn major disapproval from the others, especially Anger and Disgust.

"And besides," Joy said, her smile practically glowing brighter than she was, "this is more important. So don't be sorry, okay?"

Riley swallowed, her throat dry with anything else she could possibly say. There was a tightening feeling in her chest, and something wet almost seemed to form around the edges of her eyes. Still, she gave the yellow emotion a brief nod as they resumed following the pair of scientists.

Somehow she felt a little stronger after what Joy just told her.

The familiar building closed into her view as they reached the front doors. She felt her heart race nervously, the lab simply intimidating her. Soon they would meet up with Aggravation, but Riley reminded herself that she would also see Delight again—and hopefully her, Panic, and Joy would be able to support her.

She felt her steps grow a little heavier, almost as if the gravity itself was pulling at her weight onto the ground. She checked her bracelet. It was at 98, and if Panic's words were any indication that was less than perfect but still okay. Yet she somehow felt a little worn out. This either was normal or there was something to to really be concerned about...

She supposed she'd find out when she got there—she knew that if she alerted Panic he would freak out. Better to wait... she hoped.

Feeling thankful for the new name and yet wondering if Joy's friends would ever accept her, Riley was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the bracelet drop a couple more percentage points. She just made sure to stay close to the one main friend she had.

* * *

 **A/N: That's it for this chapter! Next time, look forward to seeing exactly how Riley's future arrangements change, and what's up with that percentage drop. ;). Hope you enjoyed and remember to review!**


	4. Stability

**A/N: First off, I want to thank UntoldStories113 for her advice on some parts, so I went back and changed things up a bit (Panic and Contempt both going with them, more reluctance from Aggravation and Delight having to convince him, more name choices for Ri, etc.), so I really appreciate the advice and constructive criticism. Advice just helps make the story better. :) Anyway, a bit of trouble for Riley occurring in this chapter...**

 **Disclaimer: I own the main five emotions' parents and the setting. And sadly, that is all.**

* * *

The large doors of the building opened, and Contempt led the two younger ones through without a word, Panic following anxiously behind. The lights in the lobby and hallways were dimmed somewhat, only seeming to accentuate Joy's brightness. There was also the added factor of Riley being less visible in the faded light. At least any others around might not notice her.

 _They named her,_ Panic internally muttered. _They_ named _her. Oh man, if Aggravation finds out—no, **when** he finds out..._

An elevator ride and some more hallways later, they finally reached the doors of the lab that Riley was so familiar with. Contempt just walked right in without a word.

Riley flinched a little as she and Joy entered. Panic instantly ran over and started chatting to Delight in hopes to avoid Aggravation, Grief was seated nearby going over some of the documents from earlier that day, and Aggravation... he was standing close to the containment chamber where Riley had spent her life before she woke into the world.

The talk between the others stopped immediately.

"Good," Aggravation said in his normal stern voice. "You actually listened and brought Ri back. Seems I didn't even have to force you into it much by storming there myself."

Riley swallowed. She had a feeling that she'd always dislike that voice.

Contempt yawned. "Eh, I heard that one," here he pointed at Joy, "call her 'Riley' on the way over here."

Panic instantly cringed, glancing at the two girls uncertainly. He had been dreading this the entire walk back and hoped Contempt wouldn't tell. No dice.

Joy and Riley both suddenly felt mortified. Joy did her best to hide it, but the fear that pounded through Riley's mind was written all over her face. It only grew worse as she saw Aggravation staring directly at her.

"Really." His voice was almost flat.

"I-it was just a nickname," Joy quickly invented, hoping that Aggravation would listen. "Just to help her feel more welcome when she was with my friends!" She forced as much of a smile as she could muster.

Aggravation's mouth was set in a thin line.

Before any more conversation could be initiated, Delight bounded over almost immediately.

"Hi Joy, hi Ri!" Delight exclaimed with a grin just as broad as her daughter's normal demeanor. "Did you guys have fun? How was the movie?"

Joy blinked, the issue with Aggravation still nagging at her mind. She quickly recovered and shook herself out of her thoughts—she had to, with Aggravation standing nearby. "Well, we didn't get to watch a movie, but we went over and I introduced Ri to my friends!"

"And? How'd it go?"

Joy frowned slightly at the sullen expression on Riley's face before quickly trying to come to her friend's rescue. "It didn't go _quite_ like I hoped, but it was just a first time thing, they'll warm up to her!"

Delight pulled the two of them into a light hug. "I'm sure you'll all be friends soon enough!"

Riley flinched a little at the sudden hug, not used to the physical contact. She was a bit unused to feeling much of anything aside from the energy field she had been suspended in for so long. A chill went down her back as she noticed Aggravation scowl in irritation. Things weren't looking too good. And she wasn't feeling so good either.

Delight pulled back a bit, noticing her shiver. "Ri? Are you okay?"

Before Riley even had time to answer, Panic practically barreled into them and held Ri's arm, checking out the band once more in case things had changed in the past 30 seconds.

"Stability's at 97%, pretty good!" He looked a little more at ease, trying to force out a smile, but noticing her tired look. "Now tell me, is anything else wrong?" He pulled out a list from the pocket of his coat. "Do you happen to feel fuzzy, or like you're fading, or—"

"I... I feel a little worn out, actually," Riley admitted, really hoping that it wasn't anything serious.

"'Worn out' how?"

"Just really tired..."

Panic double-checked the armband. Carefully squinted. Put a hand on her forehead just in case, then took her hand, looking carefully at it for a moment before meeting her gaze. "I think your body just might feel a bit overwhelmed from all the excitement today since you just started moving," he said kindly. "If you go to sleep tonight everything should be fine in the morning."

Joy and Riley returned the smiles, though Riley's was a little more lopsided, and not just due to her physical weariness. Would she be able to sleep, after what had happened and the fact that she had spent nearly her entire semiconscious life "sleeping", however long that was? And _where_ was she going to sleep anyway? In the container? She felt a little weak at the thought.

Before Riley could ask the question, a voice suddenly spoke up.

"Joy? Can I talk to you for a second?"

Both Joy and Riley looked up at the voice, and Riley felt like she had stepped into cold water. It was Aggravation. And Contempt was standing near him like they had been talking while Joy and Riley had been preoccupied with the others.

Joy had a bad feeling about this. But she knew that refusing to listen to Aggravation would just anger him more, and that wasn't something she wanted. For Riley's sake as well as her own.

"S-Sure." Joy couldn't help but feel a twinge of nervousness prick at her mind. Whenever the leader used that too-calm voice, it never was a good thing. But she followed alongside him all the same. If she had to defend her decision to give Ri a new name, she would.

She glanced backward just as they exited through the lab door. Grief had come over and was assuring them that Riley's readings from earlier in the day looked fine, and Panic was wondering if there were any other symptoms that Riley could think of.

But Riley herself only focused in those moments on worriedly meeting Joy's eyes. Guilt struck her heart again. ' _First her friends saw me as different and I ruined their movie night. Now I've ruined things for her too._ '

She didn't notice her armband drop a few more percentage points, but she did notice a slight feeling of dizziness that she desperately tried to fight against.

Joy and Aggravation walked away from the lab a bit, down the various hallways and back to the main Council room. A quick glance showed that the speaker wasn't on between there and the lab.

For a moment, there was a tense silence as Aggravation stepped forward, placing one hand on the desk and resting his hand on the wood. He didn't look at Joy.

Had it been anyone else, Joy might have assumed that this would be the time when they'd have a heart-to-heart talk about Riley and what to do concerning her. But any chance of that—a very slim chance in any case when it came to Aggravation—was completely shattered when Joy noticed the top of his head beginning to glow bright.

He slammed his fist down, leaving an imprint on the desk, and whirled around sharply, glaring down at Joy with a furious expression in his eyes and the top of his head being set alight like a flamethrower.

"YOU _**NAMED**_ HER?!"

Although Joy had expected this sort of reaction from him, her flesh nearly jumped off of her bones the moment he shouted. The flames got more violent, as if the entire lab could be destroyed in one giant inferno. She had dealt this many times when it came to her friend Anger, but his father was like the bigger deal. Frightened as she was, she didn't regret what she had done for Ri...Riley.

"I don't see what the problem is," she remarked politely, trying to sound brave in her tone.

Aggravation growled, wondering how in the name of all things imaginative this girl could not understand what she was messing with. It was annoying enough he had to deal with her mother's constant "positivity" on a daily basis, but since Ri had come into the world, her daughter was doing a better job of souring everything for him.

"Ri does not need a name while she is here," he barked. "She needs to be stable and that's all that matters for her."

This time it was Joy's turn to feel like flames were flickering atop her blue hair. Anger's father had some nerve to say that about her friend. She may have been some "experiment" that had been worked on for a very long time, but her rights were as obvious as any other emotion and individual.

"I'm just making her feel more good about herself!" the yellow emotion argued. "And what trouble can having a new name cause?"

Aggravation peered at her bitterly, fighting the urge to just sprout flames along his back and go into a fit of rage. His son already did that on a weekly basis, but he himself needed to remain steady as a requirement in his job. It had gotten a lot harder since his wife became a Mind Guide and had to leave.

"A new name," he began hoarsely, "will make her more attached to the outside sources following it. She'll begin to become more independent, and suffer from any dangers she might possibly commit because she will believe she can perform anything. This... new name will make her assume her stability levels are to be ignored while she heads off doing the same things you do and assume she's meant to be as you are."

Joy just blinked at him, half confused and half offended that he could think such a way. He was speaking about Riley as if she were a caged animal that needed no name, just needed to be alive! While she fully respected Anger's father as she did with the other adults, Aggravation was not playing a fair game.

"Riley deserves this!" she responded, trying to keep her voice at a certain level. "She woke up and was brought into this world. She was born even though it was in a different way than us! You can't say that Ri will be called that forever just because it was the name you gave her when she was first being created!"

Aggravation groaned under his breath, rubbing his large palm against his forehead. This girl was not only overly sweet on a regular basis, but to the extent obsessed with their project. It had only been the first day with the introduction of Ri being awake, and there was still so much that needed to be done about her. And Joy here was throwing a wrench into the plans.

"I mean, what exactly do you even plan on doing to her?"

He blinked before looking at the yellow emotion. Her glowing skin had faded off, her expression almost frightened.

"You're not actually going to just keep her cooped up in this lab, are you?" she asked. "She doesn't want that. She needs a life just like me and your son do!"

"Don't bring up Anger into this," Aggravation grunted. "I'm not surprised even my own son doesn't like her."

"Who said he doesn't like her?" Joy demanded, fuming. "This is Riley's first day. She's still getting used to our world, so the others need time to get used to her."

"You know, friendship wasn't exactly part of the idea when we first worked on her," he said monotonously.

"Well, it is now!" Joy fought back. "Everyone needs friends! And experiment or not, _she_ needs them too. Which is why I'm here for her. I'll stay with her all night, or for an entire week, whatever it takes if it means taking care of her in case YOU try anything."

Aggravation was taken aback a little by the supposed threat. "Joy, I do not intend to harm Ri."

"Then let her be!" the yellow emotion bit back. "And her name is _Riley_."

"That name sounds almost too unfitting for someone like her to possess," he stated. He recalled his own studies on more human names when he had studied more of Earth's going-ons. "It means 'courageous'."

"Well, I think it's perfect," Joy huffed, almost wanting to scoff the way Disgust always did. "And Riley is perfect. She's my friend, and nothing you can say will change that!"

Aggravation stared Joy down, surprised that someone so bubbly could be so forceful when she got mad. She certainly had spunk—even if it was threatening to throw a wrench in the plans for Ri.

He sighed, the frown not leaving his face. "Even if you insist on calling her by such a name, to us she shall remain Ri for the time being". He huffed. "But as far as your offer to stay with her a week goes, you'd be better off just visiting. She shouldn't leave the lab for a while and she'll have to sleep in the container again."

"What?!". Just as Joy had thought she was finally getting an upper hand on Aggravation's views, he was trying to squash Riley's freedom. "But that was for when she was developing!"

"And you're forgetting that she's NOT like us!" Aggravation roared. "She needs to be kept in there at night to ensure she remains stable."

"But she deserves a proper place to stay!" Joy insisted, her own voice rising. "She can't just stay cramped in a test tube like she's some sort of thing that has no soul!"

Aggravation put his foot down, the fire returning. "Ri wasn't—"

"It's _Riley_!"

"She wasn't created to be your friend, or playmate, or anything like that!". Aggravation ignored Joy's correction, focused only on his argument. "She was created for one purpose, and that's why—"

The speaker flicking on suddenly cut their argument short, and a voice came over the speaker.

It was Panic. And he didn't sound at all calm. "Aggravation, Joy, get back here!"

"What's wrong?" Aggravation snapped.

"It's Ri!"

Adrenaline fueled through Joy's system, and she sped off before she could even hear Panic say any more. What mattered was that Riley was in trouble, by the sound of it. And she intended to help her friend in any way she could.

* * *

Back in the lab, Panic was desperately hooking wires and electrodes up to Riley, looking worriedly at the steadily decreasing stability level. Grief and Delight were hard at work at charging up the containment chamber, making sure it would be safe to put her in it.

He turned just in time to see Joy rush toward them. Panic knew she would respond this way, having cared about Riley even before she had been finalized. He shuddered as Aggravation came into view, looking as if he had just crashed his car into a tree. But Panic directed his attention to Joy, who gawked in horror at the sight of Riley.

"What happened to her?" she cried, racing to her friend's side.

Panic sighed nervously. "Her stability suddenly began to drop. She's going into a deep slumber."

"Slumber?" Joy repeated as she cradled Riley's head close to her chest. "You mean she's dying?"

Delight came in to place an assuring hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Sweetheart, he means Ri's tired."

"But why is she like this?" Joy demanded, horrified.

"Because she's still very weak."

The yellow emotion looked over her shoulder and she held Riley tighter, almost protectively as Aggravation neared the table where she laid. He didn't appear too surprised, observing the condition the part-emotion was in. He turned back to Panic who was already working on the charges that would aid her.

Aggravation looked sharply at Panic. "Is the chamber almost ready?"

Joy's eyes widened as she looked back down at Riley. The other girl's expression appeared almost too lifeless, as if she was still in the process of being created. She was pale and limp, as if she were more like a doll than a living being. Worse, she appeared fuzzy on some small parts of her body, less so in the way an emotion was and more of a way like she was breaking apart. Like her structure wasn't holding.

Joy's color fizzed out, her yellow skin becoming more of a dull shade as she held Riley close. She refused to move even an inch away from her friend, and she didn't care whether or not the adults said it was a bad idea.

This just wasn't fair! Riley had finally come into the world and now she was being blocked from it! Experiment or not, she was a living, breathing person. She was not Ri, she was Riley, and darn it all what her friends thought, or what anyone else said. Once Riley was able to wake up, Joy would take her away from this place for a longer amount of time. Once it was safe, she'd make sure Riley got to live as any emotion should.

What was life if someone couldn't live it?

Joy laid her head against Riley's, tears pricking her eyes. She just couldn't lose Riley, not after all these months. True, Riley had never been able to respond to her idle chatter, but since her structure was being finalized and she had been allowed to see Riley for the first time, she would visit the growing girl when she got the chance, becoming near as attached to her as her mother. It was almost like having a new best friend, and that was exactly the kind of relationship she had hoped to have when Riley did wake up.

And now so soon after doing so, she might not at all.

"Riley, please wake up!" she murmured, holding her even tighter. Riley had so much to live for... it couldn't be taken from her now!

The sight broke Delight's heart as she and Panic worked to bring the girl back to a stable percentage. She had high hopes that she would fit in immediately into this world. She never thought her own daughter's friends would turn a blind eye and pretend as if she was thin air. This was one of the things she loved about Joy; her ability to accept anyone and find the positive in that person.

Although she doubted there was much to be thought about Aggravation as he worked tediously yet dully. She only wondered what he and her daughter had just discussed about. Maybe it had something to do with the new name thing. Honestly, she liked Riley a lot better than Ri. It sounded more... well, natural.

"Panic, what do we got?" she called to her fellow scientist.

The other emotion adjusted his glasses as he flipped a switch that connected to a good portion of the links on Riley. He gritted his teeth, becoming even more nervous but alert.

"Processing is still at a major low. But we're slowly getting there! I don't think this power will be enough though, we've gotta get her back to where she was before!"

Panic gently placed his hands on Ri's form, causing Joy to look up sharply.

"Joy," Panic said, attempting to stay calm for all their sakes. "I'm going to have to put Ri in the container again now. It's the only way we can save her, and we have to do it now."

Joy took a deep breath and nodded, watching as the wires from the the table were unhooked, causing her stability to drop, and a switch was turned on which caused the container to light up slightly. Contempt pressed the button to open the chamber, and Panic, Delight, and Joy carefully held onto Riley.

"Why does she look like this?" Joy asked, stroking Riley's hair. "When an emotion starts to die, they—"

"She's part human too, remember?" Delight said gently, noticing their hands trembling as the three of them gently positioned Riley into the chamber. "The two parts of her nature are conflicting, so her... weaker state is more human now.". She was careful not to say "dying".

With a nod, the containment chamber was shut, the inside lighting up as energy flow from the connected wires flowed through, causing Riley to be suspended slightly just as she had been doing as she was being formed.

The group watch tensely, the next few seconds completely silent as they stared at her armband.

Then...

65... 67... 71...

Her stability was rising. She would be okay.

Everyone (except Aggravation) collapsed in relief, though even the leader was thankful. The project was alright. Their endeavors could succeed.

Joy watched as Riley resumed her original position, remaining in that container as she had before. Although she was pained that her friend couldn't have received a better way of slumbering, she was just grateful she was okay now.

That had been scary, and Joy nearly did a Fear on herself when she saw Riley so lifeless. But she was sure the blonde would be more than recharged by tomorrow, and hopefully Joy would have another chance to get her out of here. Aggravation's words still infuriated her, and it made her more determined to prove to him that she was no Ri of his but meant to be Riley to everyone. She'd show him he was wrong as soon as tomorrow came.

She gazed at the container once more, Riley's eyes closed as she laid in a state of tranquility. Joy reached up and placed a hand on the container, wishing she could hold Riley's hand through all this. She hoped Riley could feel her attempts to assure her she was safe now. The yellow emotion glanced over to see it was already reaching 85. That was good.

It just wasn't fair that Riley had to suffer this sort of thing. But then again, she had just been brought up from her completed form. She was just so tired after suddenly being brought out from her containment. Joy made a mental note that she would be more careful with her friend. While Joy wanted to show RIley the entire city itself, she needed to take it one step at a time. That meaning she needed to calm down, take things slow, and just be careful with Riley.

She felt a gentle grasp on her shoulder and turned to see her mom give her a sympathetic look.

"Sweetie, let's leave her be," she told her. "Riley will be fine by tomorrow morning."

Joy gazed back at the container, which possessed neither a blanket nor a pillow for the way Riley was "sleeping".

"Does she really need to be like this?" Joy asked her mom miserably. "Doesn't she have a real bed or something?"

"Well, uh..." her mom bit her lip before turning to Panic.

"It's...much too soon to think about those sort of things," he told the younger emotion. "For right now we should be more cautious of her state. A few more tests ought to do it before we can conclude her as stable again."

"And then I can hang out with her again?" Joy asked hopefully.

"Hang out?"

All turned to see Aggravation glare at them from where he was. Contempt stood by him, merely unaffected by his trademark mood at this moment.

"She does not need 'hanging out'," he said sternly. "She needs to avoid extensive contact with outside sources."

"Outside sources?" Joy cried. "You're practically cutting life itself from her!"

Aggravation frowned. "Her life is not centered like yours is."

At this point, Joy was feeling very ticked off. She had felt terrified by having Riley nearly die in front of her, but Aggravation was only concerned with cutting Riley off from everything that was good about life. "Then how is her life centered?" She was unable to stop worry from creeping into her voice.

"Her life is to be centered around being stable and not contaminated by more of the outside world than necessary." Aggravation put his hand on Riley's containment chamber, watching as her percentage was rising and color returning to her body. "She can learn and experience some things, but not so much to the point she gets too attached to things out there. Or _you_ get too attached to _her_."

Joy flinched, as if thinking that Aggravation, despite his earlier words, did intend to harm Riley. "She deserves to have a life!"

"A limited one!"

"That isn't fair!"

"Joy," Delight said, trying to keep things positive and soothe her daughter's worries. "We'll make sure no harm comes to her." She glanced at Aggravation before looking down at her daughter once more. "We all want her to be safe."

"But she can't just—"

The red-orange emotion stepped toward Joy. "It was your foolishness that nearly got her killed!" Aggravation shouted. "She stayed away from where she could be looked after! If we hadn't send Contempt and Panic to go with you and regulate how long she could stay..." Fire started to sprout from his head again. "Do you _want_ her to—"

"Everyone, CALM DOWN!"

The others turned to look at Panic, who looked just as tired as the rest of them. "We've... we've all had a long day," he panted. "Let's just wrap things up and let Riley get some rest."

Aggravation huffed at the use of the name.

Joy looked firm. "I'll stay with her tonight."

The others glanced at her, seeing the determination in her eyes. Joy wasn't going to back down.

"I'll get a sleeping bag," Delight offered, hurrying off but giving Joy a proud smile. She had known that allowing her to get to know Ri would be a good idea in the long run.

Grief looked uncertain. "You sure you'll be okay here?"

Joy's gaze was set as she moved to Riley's container. She placed her hand on the glass that separated them. "I'm sure. Riley needs me."

It was obvious that Aggravation didn't agree with this, but he didn't say a word as Delight returned with the sleeping bag and pillow.

After a few more minutes of check-ups and goodnights, the lights in the lab were turned off. The only lights present were the equipment, Joy's glow and the container that served as Riley's sleeping quarter.

Joy snuggled into her sleeping bag, glancing up at her silent friend. No matter what the others said, she'd make this work somehow. As Riley's best friend, she figured it was her duty. Riley being "born" that day was the start of a new life, and Joy was going to make sure that Riley would experience it.

"Good night... Riley."

* * *

 **A/N: So, next chapter will involve a bit more shenanigans with Riley and Joy, including Riley learning the basics of the world, and a bit of a heartwarming moment near the end! Remember to review! ;)**


	5. Learning About Living

**A/N: Chapter 5 here, and this one finally has Riley interacting a bit with the broader outside world... with varying degrees of success, haha. I kind of based her personality and naivete here on Young Mewtwo from the _Mewtwo's Origin_ short, I always thought how he didn't know anything was adorable, and seeing as Riley was created under similar circumstances, I figured, "Hey, why not?" **

**Also, going to see Inside Out tomorrow thanks to a Fathom Events thing! So excited... and nervous... but mostly excited!**

 **Disclaimer: I own a ticket to see Inside Out; I don't own the movie.**

* * *

The moment Riley opened her eyes, she felt as if she had been on the verge of falling for all eternity, like she was standing over a ledge and just barely held back from tumbling forward. Her head throbbed a bit, but other than that nothing else hurt. As awareness came back to her senses, she realized she was back in her old container, and she feared something had occurred last night that she couldn't recall. Why was she back in here?

She inwardly searched her memory. All she remembered was Panic checking on her, and she herself feeling a bit tired. Then feeling dizzy. The last thing she saw before closing her eyes were Panic and Delight rushing toward her as the world spun sideways.

And now here she was, back where she started from.

However, she realized she wasn't alone as she found a glowing figure slumbering peacefully right next to her container.

Riley couldn't help but allow a small smile upon her lips, touched that Joy never left her side all night, just as she had said she would. It was a relief to see her friend right next to her, curled in a sleeping bag and pretending as if this was like some bedroom to them. She really had been true to her word, despite what Aggravation said.

The thought of the blood orange emotion made Riley's skin crawl. She remembered Contempt telling him how Joy gave her new name. The look on his face was not _appealing,_ and she feared Joy might have gotten in serious trouble for interacting so deeply with someone so different from her. But Joy accepted her, and it was worth whatever Aggravation said to her in the other room.

Riley shifted a bit, wondering if she should go back to sleep mode despite already at 100%. It wasn't like she could do anything else while stuck in here, anyway. She gazed at Joy's slumbering figure, her glow still lighting the dim room.

However, Riley didn't need to attempt anything as she saw Joy's form begin to stir. A soft groan escaped her lips before slowly opening her eyes. She muttered groggily, rubbing her cheek before she finally made out the image in front of her.

Her eyes nearly hit the ceiling as she immediately threw her cover off and stood to attention, as if she were in the army and the top general had just shouted at her to wake up.

"Riley!" she cried happily, all traces of tiredness gone. "You're awake!"

Riley merely nodded, unsure of what else to say. But she didn't have to say anything as the yellow emotion rushed toward her container, throwing her arms against it in a way of giving the girl a great, big hug.

"Oh, man, you scared me so much last night!" Joy exclaimed.

Riley would hug her back, albeit awkwardly seeing as this "hugging" stuff was still a new thing for her, but given she was still attached to her chargers and within the container...

Joy paused and moved away, noticing the obvious problem. She grinned sheepishly and rushed at the controls. "Hold up there, Riley!"

She was thankful that she had watched her mom and the others check on Riley before her awakening and had been in the lab many times before then, as she remembered the buttons and levers that they said would be right for opening the chamber when Riley wasn't in danger or forming. Energy flow off, suspension field dissipated, wires disconnected, a sliding noise to indicate the container had opened. "Okay! You can come out now!"

Riley was definitely relieved to be out of her enclosure, able to get out with a bit more surefootedness than yesterday, though her head still throbbed. She yawned tiredly, only to let out a grunt as Joy suddenly wrapped her arms around Riley in a hug.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Joy exclaimed, meeting Riley's eyes.

Riley's grin was a bit lopsided at the sudden physical contact, but after a moment she slowly returned the hug in kind. "You really stayed with me all night?"

Joy looked at Riley with as much sincerity as she could. "I never left your side. And I don't care what my friends or Aggravation says—"

Riley winced at the mention of the older emotion.

"—you'll always be perfect to me.".

Well, this was certainly a better start to the day than yesterday had been. Riley couldn't help but smile gratefully at Joy's insistence, though she still felt a little tired. Kind of weak but she didn't know why, her stability seemed fine if the fact that there were the three digits lit up on the armband...

Suddenly, Riley's stomach growled, causing the startled girl to leap back in surprise. She glanced downward, then at her armband nervously, then at Joy. "I thought I was okay...". She started worrying that she was going to turn unstable again, gripping onto the nearby table to steady herself as she sat on the ground, in case another fainting spell occurred, closing her eyes and fearing the inevitable. What if she was going to collapse and disperse into particles any second or something? The three numbers were lit up, why did she feel this way?

Joy, however, realized the source of Riley's discomfort, and chuckled lightly.

Riley cautiously opened her eyes. Why was Joy laughing when something could be wrong with her?

"Oh Riley, you're fine. I know _exactly_ what's wrong!" Joy put a hand on her shoulder to reassure her. "You're just hungry, that's all!"

"I'm... hungry?" Riley heard her stomach growl again and she winced, trying to stand up and steady herself both from just waking up and from her lack of nourishment.

Joy instantly noticed the questioning tone and the confusion written on Riley's face. "Of course, you've only been fully formed and awake for less than a day, you haven't eaten anything before!". The vibrant young emotion chided herself before eagerly taking Riley by the hand and helping her to stand, looking at her encouragingly. "Before we see the town, we gotta make sure we get that problem taken care of! Come on, let's go before Aggravation and the others on the team get here!"

' _And hope Aggravation doesn't interfere,_ she thought in the back of her mind. Joy was pretty confident that the team wouldn't let Riley starve, especially not her mother, but when it came to the leader, it was better to be safe than sorry.

"W-Wait, what?!"

Although it warmed Riley to be with Joy again, she couldn't help but worry that their departure would make more problems. After all, it was bad enough Aggravation disapproved of her new name, what more that Joy was taking her out of the lab again? Especially after yesterday? And without telling anyone?

"Gee, Joy, I really appreciate all you're doing..." she told her nervously, "but I don't know if we should be leaving. Won't your mom or the others wonder where I went?"

"Oh, my mom completely gets it, she knows you're safe with me!" Joy assured her. "Panic knows you'll always be with me, and I'm sure Grief would understand. Contempt and Aggravation...well, yeah, they'd be ticked, but Aggravation probably won't let you go otherwise." She moved her arms in a grandiose gesture. "How else will you see the world?"

"Do you think maybe it would be best to let them know first?" Riley asked, still in doubt.

"Um, don't worry," the yellow emotion told her. "Just stick with me, and we'll both be fine."

The squeamish feeling in Riley's stomach ached once more, but then again it might have been because she was "hungry". Just the way that word echoed in her head sounded almost pleasing. And the thought of what Joy would do to fix this seemed kind of exciting, whatever it was. She allowed Joy to take her away from the lab, abandoning the silent laboratory and quickly exiting out the door.

But the moment they did, Riley flinched as the light of morning seeped into her pupils, and she instantly stumbled backward. It was nearly blinding, seeing as all she had seen of the outside world before was just as the sun was setting. She shielded her eyes. "What's that?! It's too bright!"

Joy gave her a sympathetic look, taking her hand. "It's just the sunlight!"

Riley frowned. "Sunlight?"

"Remember that redness you saw in the lower part of the sky yesterday?"

Riley nodded.

"Same thing as that. It's just up there in the daytime right now so it looks brighter."

The part-emotion still cringed. "How can you see in it?"

"Your eyes just need to get used to it, that's all!"

Riley blinked uncertainly. She preferred where it wasn't blindingly bright.

Joy gently took her hand. "As long as you don't look right up at it, you'll be fine! Just trust me!"

Stepping forward cautiously, Riley blinked a few more times before her gaze finally accepted the bright colors and various noises of this world once more. Still holding Joy's hand, she watched the buildings pass by them as they ventured further away from the lab, staying close in case she got any weird looks. While she was certain Aggravation would be furious, she placed all her trust in Joy.

Unlike yesterday, very few people were in their path. That meant less stares and mutters because of her appearance. Riley felt even more pleased. She secretly hoped Joy wouldn't bring her to her friends again. She already knew they didn't like her, and why worsen that by attempting to forge some friendship that would likely lead to more harm than good?

The growling in her stomach became even more unbearable. It lifted into her throat before thumping around her chest area. Like an empty trash bin.

"So how exactly are you going to fix my "hungriness"?" she asked innocently.

Joy smiled as she led the way. "Breakfast, of course!"

"Breakfast?" Riley asked, the term completely foreign to her like so many others.

"It's the most important meal of the day!" Joy chirped. "I'll buy you the complete package, which is eggs, bacon, pancakes, and then some hash browns—"

"Isn't that a bit much?" Riley told her. She may have had no idea what those things were, but at least she could distinguish a list. And it seemed like a pretty long list.

"You have eaten for a whole day," Joy reminded the blonde. "Or rather, ever. Don't worry, the hearty breakfast deal will be good for you. And great thing that we're so early, or there would have been a breakfast rush going on!"

Riley just nodded at all this. However, the events of yesterday brought something else to question. "Have you gotten word from your friends last night?" she asked.

"Oh, the guys?" Joy said nonchalantly. "Well, Disgust did send a text—"

"What's a text?"

"Like a message."

"Oh..." Riley paused. "What'd she say?"

A slight frown crossed Joy's face. "Well, she said that Movie Night wasn't much fun without me."

Riley stiffened at this, feeling completely responsible. "I'm sorry—"

"Don't be," Joy assured her gently. "Like I said, it was Fear's turn to choose the movie. So of course it wasn't fun!"

"But you had to leave your friends for me," Riley mumbled, not looking Joy in the eyes. "They seemed pretty mad. Especially Anger."

Joy waved her hand with a dismissive grin. "Anger gets mad about everything, it doesn't take much to set him off." She gave Riley's hand a gentle squeeze to indicate there were no hard feelings. "He got mad at me once like that when I tried to scare him on Halloween as a joke—"

"Halloween?"

Joy remembered how little Riley knew of their world (and basic life in general), so she put it out of her mind for now. "Oh, right, I'll tell you later! Point is, Anger being mad like that is kind of a weekly thing for him, or, actually, make that daily. It's not your fault."

"But—"

"Uh uh uh, Riley," Joy chided, putting a finger to the part-emotion's lips and grinning broadly, the glow around her form having returned. "Don't try to blame yourself for what happened. This is meant to be a good Second Waking Day, and the first order of business is to get you some breakfast!"

When they did enter the cafe, Riley was relieved that there weren't too many people about. After being welcomed by the hostess (who flinched when noticing Riley but at least didn't scream or run like Fear had), they entered the portion of the building where the buffet of food was.

Riley couldn't help but have her mouth drop open in shock. There were so many tables along the walls displaying what she assumed was food that it was almost overwhelming. And the _smells_! Riley carefully sniffed to let the scents move through her, feeling much more awake and curious and excited.

"Wait right here," Joy exclaimed, gesturing to a table with two chairs, "I'll be right back!" With a grin, the hyperactive emotion bounded away toward the tables as Riley watched her pick up two plates like it was effortless, piling up different foods that she could only guess what they were.

Riley noticed that several more beings were coming into the room, and a few of them seemed to glance momentarily in her direction. She tried to make herself small, to not be seen. What if they freaked out as Fear had done? What if she then disturbed everyone else's... what was the word? Breakfast? What if she got a negative reaction from them too?

 _Think positive, Riley,_ she told herself. _That's what Joy would want._

She was relieved when Joy finally came back with two heaping plates of what was called food. The eggs were scrambled, almost as bright a yellow as the glow that surrounded her friend. The bacon was crisp, dribbling oil down onto the plate and atop the eggs, the dark red color almost looking like a warning toward Riley. And Joy did mention the hashbrowns, which were just as crispy with their insides glistening like pearls. Joy even brought out the dessert portion of breakfast, which consisted of every brand of muffin the cafe had available. Riley found herself staring at the one which glimmered of bejeweled blue orbs on it.

It was all so colorful, pleasing, and the smell was making her stomach become more impatient. So this was what hungry felt like. Riley was even questioning how exactly she managed to last a day without food when it seemed all these people could hardly survive five minutes. She smiled gratefully at Joy who sat opposite from her. With her own plate in front of her, she helped Riley with her utensils.

Other than being unsure about what living was, what holding was needed some work as well. If Fear had been in Joy's place, he would probably be worried that Riley would use her own fork as a deadly weapon. But no, the poor kid was staring at the utensil curiously, its three points slightly intimidating her.

"You just poke your food with it," Joy instructed as she picked up her own fork. "See, like this."

She lowered it toward her sunnyside eggs. She picked at the yoke, which popped. This image surprised Riley, who wasn't really sure if the sight of something so gooey-looking was the best thing to look at. But she understood what exactly Joy was trying to say as the emotion used her fork to pick up a piece of egg white.

"See?" Joy said, holding her fork toward her mouth. "It's easy!" She noticed Riley look from Joy's plate to her own. "Oh, I got you the scrambled ones because I figured they'd be easier for you to eat, less gooey."

Riley gently gripped her fork, slowly she lifting it toward her plate once she figured out it wouldn't stab her in the face. She decided to go for the bacon and picked at it. It was quite complicated given that the strips were cooked rather well done, which hardened them to any form of protruding tool. The blonde frowned a bit, pressing deeper and trying to get it on her fork.

Finally, she heard a small crack erupt from her bacon. She managed to lift it up toward her face, the piece barely dangling from her fork. She smiled hopefully toward Joy, who gave her two thumbs up.

"Ooh, bacon!" the yellow emotion beamed. "Best food to have on your first time trying food!"

Riley smiled sheepishly before inching her mouth toward it. However, before her teeth could clamp on, the bacon slipped out of her fork and fell on her plate with a soft thud. She looked at it momentarily, frowning a bit. She then raised her fork and brought it down on the plate with a bit more force. The bacon just cracked a little bit and went sliding more on the plate.

"Um, Riley—"

Raising her fork again swiftly with a determined and mildly frustrated look on her face, Riley slammed the prongs of the fork down on the bacon piece before Joy could do anything. The food in question went flying off the plate and onto the floor. With her face scrunching up in a frustrated grunt, Riley raised her fork once more to slam it on the single remaining piece of bacon on the plate, when suddenly her hand was caught by Joy. Her glowing friend gave her a sheepish grin.

"You know, when we eat bacon..." Joy advised her, "we just pick it up with our hands."

The blonde watched as Joy reached over with her other hand and plucked the remaining bacon strip off Riley's plate. She lifted it toward Riley's lips, grinning excitedly as she allowed her friend to enjoy the deep scent of it instead of stabbing it.

"Mmm, bacon!" Joy mused.

Up close and personal, Riley could see glands of liquid seep off the strip. The scent was even more powerful than before, and somehow it made the back of her throat almost salivate. Her stomach growled even more, begging to just get it over with.

Finally, she inched her teeth toward it and clamped onto the strip. Joy's eyes widened in anticipation as Riley pulled it toward her. It dangled from her mouth as she carefully chewed. Like a toddler trying a new recipe she might not agree with.

Riley's eyes rose in amazement as she tried the taste. Her tongue had only tasted dryness of air for so long that she never thought there _was_ any other taste.

But this was amazing!

It was slightly hot, but tender. And the way it crackled in her mouth was a sound she found herself enjoying more and more. It was a few seconds before the entire piece was in her mouth, and she was chewing much faster. She eventually swallowed, savoring the flavor as it trickled down her throat.

"Well?" Joy gushed.

"Wow..." Riley muttered, staring at her plate. "Joy, that was...just wow..."

"I know, right?" the yellow emotion squealed. "Come on, try the eggs!"

Riley arched her brow in confusion.

"The yellow stuff," Joy clarified with a chuckle.

Riley wasted no time as she aimed her fork at the yellow portion of her food. Picking up the eggs was much easier, and it was rather soft when it touched her tongue. When she tasted, it didn't exactly have the same effect on her as the bacon did. The eggs almost tasted a little bland, but she managed to hint at some salt particles baked into it.

But it was still so tasty! Or maybe that was just her stomach begging for more.

Joy's smiled grew wider as she watched Riley consume her food. Seeing her filled with so much enjoyment over her first meal delighted the yellow emotion. The blonde was eating at a fast rate, hardly giving time to chew as she swallowed in big portions. She was enthralled in her first ever meal, her stomach becoming much happier from the part-emotion actually consuming food for the first time in her short life. Riley was off to a great start experiencing actual life like Joy did.

And when lunch rolled around, Joy would introduce her to pizza!

Before Joy's eyes, Riley's plate had finally been finished. There wasn't even a crumb left as Riley lowered her fork. She chewed the remains of her first meal, licking her lips. Even after all that, she still looked hungry.

"Well?" Joy giggled. "How was it?"

The way Riley beamed was a sight for her as the blonde wiped her mouth.

"Any chance I could have more?"

Joy laughed good-naturedly, amused at Riley's naivete and enthralled at her budding experience of what life was like. "Well you can't eat more _now_ , silly, or you'll get a stomachache! Wait til later, then you can really get some of the good stuff!"

"There's more?" Riley asked hopefully. After eating all that wonderful food, the thought that other emotions actually got to eat more later in the day—other things apparently—filled her with excitement. She understood why people did it a lot, as evidenced by the myriad of customers.

"Oh yes, there's more, and you'll love it!" Joy's arms moved in a grandiose gesture of enthusiasm. "Wait til I introduce you to pizza!"

Riley had no idea what pizza was, but even the word sounded tasty. She was so enthralled by the thought that she had almost forgotten about the stares of the onlookers. That is, until she thought she heard some point it out on the edges of her hearing.

Joy noticed and quickly leapt up to pay for the food. No way was she going to risk letting Riley's introduction to life be soured by those who would look down on her for being what she was. True, it may be hard to avoid, but the less they could do without it, the better.

After leaving, Riley couldn't help but glance around and upward. There was just so much of this colorful majesty to see in the city that she understood why emotions like Joy spent so much time doing such things. A lot cheerier-looking than the lab, that was for sure.

The enthralled look on Riley's face caused Joy to feel a glow of happiness rise within her chest. Today was already shaping up to be going great on her list of things to introduce Riley to.

She knew that Aggravation would like not be pleased with either of them for their daytime schenanigans, but Joy figured that it would be better to ask for forgiveness than to ask permission—especially seeing as she was certain said permission request would be rejected immediately.

"So, what next?" Now that Riley had more energy, she seemed to be quite a bit lighter on her feet. A manner that was a bit more emotion-esque.

Joy hurriedly considered the possibilities of what they could do together next, so lost in thought that she nearly crashed into Riley. Following Riley's gaze, she noticed that the girl's attention was drawn to a group of beings—some looked like emotions and some not—tossing a ball back and forth. The aura around Joy's body shimmered in eagerness.

"Hey Riley," she asked, "what does your bracelet say?"

The bracelet. Riley had almost forgotten about its presence. She glanced at the metal band and saw the green 100 meet her eyes. "It has three numbers."

"So you're fully stable?"

"I... think so." Riley was a bit hesitant based on last night, but so far so good. If three numbers meant fully stable, that is...

"Great!" Joy grinned, pulling her companion along. "I think then it's time I introduce you to sports!"

As Riley pondered what in the world "sports" was supposed to be, Joy bounded past some of the emotions in the streets. Riley tried to follow, but a few noticed.

"Hey, wait a minute!" A gray emotion about half Joy's height pointed nearby. "Isn't that that emotion-human experiment thing?!"

With what felt like a million pairs of eyes suddenly swiveling around to look at her, Riley suddenly felt as if her happy mood had deflated. She wanted to ignore them, but it was hard when she noticed some of them step back, a mixture of feelings in their eyes. But the ones that stuck out most were unease and fear.

There went her self-esteem. Riley hid her pale face in her golden locks, hoping to not make eye contact with anyone around here. She had already suffered enough yesterday, she didn't want a repeat. She hurriedly went after Joy, about as fast as her lanky legs could carry her.

Somehow the food she consumed had made her a lot stronger, more flexible. Her weakness was still present, but her strength dominated it. 1% less wasn't that bad of a drop, and she was pretty sure by the time they were done with today she would still be well above 85 and having the alarm go off.

The eyes were still on her, like each pair was a needle sinking into her scalp and flesh. Maybe if Riley was a different color instead of her humanly soft pink, and had "altered", more stretchy joints that were similar to at least Joy's or Fear's, she wouldn't be having so much attention despite her lack of a grainy look. She was at least one half of an emotion, that should have been enough. But, like her name, it was too differed in this new society.

She finally caught up with Joy, the eyes still following them as Riley lowered her head nearly to her chest. The yellow emotion had noticed nothing, completely cheery and excited she and Riley were finally hanging out. To Joy, i was important that Riley have a great day, no matter what other people might think.

"So, uh, what kind of "sports" are you talking about?" the blonde asked her as she kept her shoulders hunched.

Joy beamed. "Well, there's softball, basketball, oh, and my favorite: soccer! There's others too like hockey, but we need to go elsewhere besides where we're going for those."

Riley lifted her eyes in question. "Are the sports like foods?"

The yellow emotion laughed. "What? No! They're activities you play to, you know, get active and have fun."

"Fun?"

"Yeah, fun!"

"What's fun?"

"Enjoyment out of things!" Joy exclaimed with a grin.

"So, the food was fun?" Riley asked, trying to forget the stares and instead recalling how much enjoyment she felt at trying all that food for the first time.

The corners of Joy's mouth were turned up in amusement. "Well, different kind of fun! There's eating-fun and play-fun, this is play-fun!"

The other girl pondered this for a moment, then she shrugged sheepishly. "And what exactly do you do?"

"Well, we run, of course," Joy went on, "and we sometimes kick, sprint, and hit a ball." She lifted one of her legs, and shot it forward to mimic kicking a ball.

Riley could only think of the possibility of someone getting hit in the face with a kick like that. And people did that for _enjoyment_ , for _fun_? "Sounds...dangerous,"

"You're starting to remind me of Fear," Joy giggled. "But seriously, sports are fun! And once you give them a shot, you'll be asking for more."

"Like the bacon?" Riley asked hopefully.

"Just like bacon!" Joy grinned. "Except you can't eat it! Come on! I know where we can play!"

She took Riley's hand and together they hurried off, away from the stares that momentarily worried the part-emotion.

Riley never thought she would run this fast, but the energy she was given was astounding. They found themselves running past various colorful buildings and businesses in their path, the sights hauntingly amazing to the girl's view. Joy giggled as she hurried Riley along, her golden glow becoming so vibrant it could nearly beat the sun.

Soon they found themselves near an open gate, where on the other side the grass was even more green than Disgust's hair. Riley peered at the location, noticing that a walkway was placed through the entire area, complete with larger than life trees, followed by a wide lake that consisted of creatures that flew over it and seemed to swim underneath its surface. It was very beautiful, save for the fact there were a few people walking by. Most of them children.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"The park!" Joy chirped.

"Park?" Riley repeated uneasily. "This is where the sports is?"

"It's where fun is!" the yellow emotion explained. "Come on, I left some gear here for us!"

Riley allowed herself to be dragged on once more as they hurried down the cemented path that separated two sides of grass. She fought to ignore the ongoing stares they received. It just wouldn't end.

Soon they found themselves near a thick tree with its branches completely shading them from the sun. Sitting in front of it was a large bucket full of various tools that almost reminded Riley of the lab. She watched as Joy reached into it and picked up two large brown hand things, followed by some orb that was white with some stitching on it.

"What are those?" Riley questioned.

"Mitts and a softball," Joy explained excitedly.

She tossed one of the mittens to Riley who almost didn't see it. When Riley did catch it and felt the rugged burlap of its palm, she was amazed at the feeling. It was like a hand, only softer and more smooth. She turned to see Joy bounce the ball from her mitt to her bare hand. The emotion grinned at Riley.

"Let's play some catch!"

"Catch?" Riley echoed.

"It's simple," Joy instructed. "You'll get it easy! Here, just put your mitt on..."

She waited as Riley slowly did so.

"Then hold it out like this," she went on, pulling out her own mittened hand.

Riley followed.

"Then you catch!"

Joy tossed the ball over to Riley. The blonde gasped before taking a step back from it, not having expected the thing to be flying at her like that. The ball fell on the grass with a soft thud, rolling a bit before coming to a stop. Riley just stared at it.

"Oh..." Joy winced. "Maybe we should take it a bit slower..."

* * *

 **A/N: Silly Riley. :) I really liked writing this chapter with Cartuneslover17 because we got to explore Riley's uncertainty about the world some more. And next chapter will have a bit of a heartwarming moment. ;) Hope you enjoyed, remember to review, and see you guys after I see Inside Out!**


	6. A View From Above

**A/N: Hi again, everyone!** **I saw Inside Out—I laughed hysterically, I teared up multiple times, I was wowed by some animation sequences, it was great overall. Maybe not my favorite Pixar film, but not sure where it falls on the ladder yet since I like all Pixar films except Cars 2—definitely in my top 5 though. :)**

 **Also, I've created an Inside Out forum for all my fellow Insiders! Just search "inside out forum proboards" and you should find it. :)** **With that said, onward to more Joy and Riley sweetness!**

 **Disclaimer: I wish I owned Inside Out, but I don't.**

* * *

Hours passed by, and Riley focused on ignoring the stares of the other parkgoers. To her mind, it was just her and Joy, doing various activities that Joy called "sports" and "fun". Eventually she had mastered the art of catch, and Joy decided that she was ready for the next level, which meant introducing her to some of the other kinds of sports that the park allowed for.

Some she found easy, some were difficult. And as she watched some emotions and other denizens play around out of the corners of her eyes, unaware of her watching them, she noticed they seemed to be playing sports as well, but ones that were all over the place, moving in ways Riley realized she never could. Those seemed more like sports that Joy might be able to play, using her more "stretchy" structure to her advantage, while Riley could only work with a portion of that flexibility thanks to whatever part of her stiff-joints that was "non-emotion". And yet, somehow those games looked almost effortless for an emotion. Why not for her? Was that what "looking human" meant, like Panic had mentioned before?

She tried to imitate them, with Joy watching on, but it seemed she could produce no glow, or flame, or raincloud, or move like they did. She tried, even getting a running start or crouching down before leaping, but it resulted in either her moving her limbs around like an idiot or her body making a rough contact with the ground and causing dirt to get in her mouth.

Maybe it was because she was trying to figure out what feeling was—maybe she'd have to really feel things in order to do it. But happiness sadness, fear, those were new things to her after being stuck in a wavering awareness in that container for so long, with only muffled voices for company.

Still at least trying the sports she _could_ play was something she enjoyed, regardless of her physical limitations.

She did eventually get to try pizza, with Joy's encouragement, and ended up loving it just as much as Joy thought she would. Even if some of the cheese was so sticky that it stuck to the roof of her mouth and she nearly choked for a few seconds. If this enjoyment over eating was what Joy called "happy", then she felt too happy to care, and it was only when Joy warned her against eating too much that she stopped herself from getting a third slice.

She grew more tired as the day wore on, but she tried to ignore it. She wanted to ignore the band on her arm, the fact that she was different different from these people, the stares of mistrust from the others of this world. She wanted to forget all that.

Despite everything, the running around, the struggle to grasp these new concepts, the stares and mutters of others, the midday sun beating down on her head, and the looming threat of the trouble they'd be in when they returned to the lab, Riley felt surges of energy and exhilaration throughout her system. This was what fun was. This was what _living_ was.

It was wonderful... so, _so_ wonderful... something she never wanted to let go of.

And she was supposed to be kept _away_ from all this? Why?

As the sun started to set, which was a welcome change in lighting since she no longer had to squint if she tried to look up, Joy glanced over at Riley as they walked along, who seemed worn out but happy all the same. Joy couldn't help but feel happy as well with every moment that Riley was smiling. Just seeing her friend who had felt so lost before become so alert and excited filled her with elation.

The thought that they should head back to the lab had crossed her mind, but she pushed the thought away again and again. And as the sky darkened and the city came alive with its lights, Joy glanced up at the large colorful pinwheel structure that rotated overhead in a large spiral that they had to crane their necks to glimpse the top.

Joy knew that Riley looked tired, but at the same time she knew that Aggravation would be very likely to forbid any more excursions like this. It might be Riley's only chance to really experience life—but maybe her myriad of experiences that day would allow Aggravation to actually give in and let her be free. After experiencing the world like this and knowing what it was like out here, he wouldn't bar her from it now that she knew, right?

"Hey Riley," she said with a gentle grin, gazing toward the towering construct spinning lazily overhead as its colors swirled in a slow dance. "Want to see what this place looks like from the Plutchik Wheel?"

Processing what her friend had said, Riley's eyes widened as she stared at Joy. The yellow emotion just smiled, gesturing toward her hopefully.

"Are you serious?" the blonde asked.

"Would I ever lie to you?" Joy teased.

Riley's expression became uncertain as she stepped back a bit, looking from Joy to the wheel. "You mean _now_?" Gears of anxiety could practically be seen turning in her head. "But what about Aggra—"

"Riley," Joy cut in sharply, reaching over and placing a hand on hers, "this isn't about him. This is all about you. Come on, Riley, you deserve to have fun! And what better way to complete this perfect day than see everything from the wheel?"

The other girl played with her fingers, unsure of what to make of this decision. On one hand, it was getting pretty late and no doubt both of them would be reprimanded by the adults for going without permission and staying away for so long. However, with so much having been learned, Riley didn't want the day to stop. She wanted to stay with Joy, to learn everything there was to know of simply being an emotion. She wanted to be able to really _feel_ things.

And she really wanted to go on that wheel.

"Could we really?" she asked almost hopefully.

Joy beamed before nodding vigorously. "We need to get there right now!" she urged as she took Riley's hand again. "Everything is so beautiful at night, and we don't want to miss out!"

Riley just smiled, her heart thumping knowing that later back in the lab they would both be in extreme trouble. But for the first time ever she just didn't care. All that mattered was spending this precious moment with her friend.

As they ran off, Joy's glowing flesh guided them across the streets of the city. The lights shone from every building as the entire world as Riley knew it stayed awake. People were still on the streets with a few cars going by, some stopping to gawk at the duo, mostly Riley. But she hardly noticed, her entire focus straight on that special wheel that would actually make this day perfect.

Riley hardly remembered what her percentage was right now. But she felt much stronger, and didn't even bother to look at her wrist. All she wanted was to ride that colorful wheel, to feel like an emotion for the first time since she arrived to this world.

"Did you ever ride it with any of your friends?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Oh, yeah," Joy answered. "The first time Fear got super scared that he had to hold onto me when we went super high."

"Is he always afraid?" Riley questioned, recalling the nervous state the purple emotion was always in even when she wasn't inches away from him.

"Not all the time," her friend assured her. "I mean, yes, his name is Fear, but he can be brave sometimes."

The wheel was within their view, and Riley's eyes drank in the colorful display that would become her enjoyment soon enough.

"The line isn't long!" Joy exclaimed happily. "Come on, Riley!"

Riley eagerly followed after her friend, slowing to a stop as the next group exited off some parts of the wheel, leaving enough room for them to get on. Reaching the more yellow-colored layers of spokes, Joy led Riley to the outermost portion.

"You get the best view of the city from the outer spokes," Joy said with a grin and an affectionate hand squeeze.

Once everyone was loaded in and the containers on each of the landed spokes closed, the wheel started to move upward.

Riley instinctively held on to Joy, the upward movement catching her off guard. Sure she had jumped around before, trying to learn how emotions moved, not to mention she had been suspended in her container. She knew, somewhat, what it was like to be a bit closer to the sky, to have some space between her and the ground. But _this_... it was something altogether different. It was a feeling of floating that just kept taking her higher and higher.

But as the wheel's turning went on, Riley stuck her head over the edge and felt her eyes widen, her jaw dropping.

The city looked amazing at night. The park shimmered with lamps that danced in a thousand colors, the lights on the buildings seemed to flash as if in a spoken language only they could understand, and even the towering flask-shaped laboratory seemed to reflect those lights in a prisim-like display that illuminated the skies.

Everything in general seemed to glow just as brightly as Joy was next to her.

Joy...

Riley turned slowly toward her friend, who was beaming with euphoria at seeing her friend so happy.

"Well, what do ya think?" Joy exclaimed. "Doesn't Cerebral City look beautiful?"

Riley could only nod, practically breathless.

"That's only part of it!" Joy exclaimed. "You can see more when we go up higher!"

As the turning of the wheel brought them higher and higher, Riley's gaze then turned as her heart practically leapt around as much as Joy herself. With the vehicle they stood in rising higher, there were areas she could see beyond the city, even if they did look far away. Other towns and cities, one that looked almost like clouds that had come to rest on the ground. Mountains that shone like prisms, an ocean that reflected the moonlight... so many places that she was getting a glimpse of up here. Places that she had never imagined existing.

Riley felt a warm and fuzzy feeling rise up from her chest and fill her whole being. This elation, this wonder... this was what it felt like to live. This was what it felt like to really be an emotion like Joy. This had to be what happy _really_ felt like.

Joy gently took Riley's hand, her glow brightening in these wonderful moments. As far as she was concerned, it was just the two of them up there.

"Someday, Riley," Joy said, her voice sounding almost breathless, "I'll take you to see all of Terracordis!"

"What's that?" Yet another question, just as the hundreds Riley had asked today. But this was asked with a tone of absolute wonder to it.

Joy raised one hand to gesture to the space around them. "It's our planet!"

There was that confused look again that Joy was becoming so familiar with, and she didn't mind. "What's a planet?"

"A world. Terracordis is our whole world. It means, 'the world that's the center of thought and emotion', neat huh?"

Riley nodded numbly, still in awe.

"If you think Cerebral City is big, ya haven't seen anything yet!" Joy grinned softly, pulling Riley into a hug and ruffling her hair playfully.

Riley laughed and hugged back, feeling her eyes drawn to Joy again. She gripped her hands tightly and smiled, actually feeling as alive and vibrant as any emotion like the one beside her.

She didn't want to leave this. She wanted to stay. Just stay where it was her and Joy and they didn't have to worry about anything at all. No tests, no instability problems...

Riley looked directly at Joy and managed a warm, affectionate smile.

That was all Joy ever wanted from her friend. A wide, sincere smile that evenly matched hers. _I finally did it_ , she thought happily.

The two friends simply grinned at one another before gazing back at the city itself. The bright lights shone evenly with Joy's glow, and Riley never felt more alive since she had finally woken up from her comatose forming state. It had been scary, and yet Joy helped her see the wonder in it despite everything.

While being social was still hard for her, the beauty that was the world she was experiencing was worth it all. And at least she had one friend who was more than she ever hoped for. Joy had given her so much in just one day, and Riley hoped maybe she could return the favor. Of course, that seemed impossible, given that she was a stranger to this world, and everything was already known by the yellow emotion herself. Who knew how far she had been?

Still, maybe someday it could happen. And it would be Joy who would be smiling in awe seeing a whole new world.

Her hand tightened in Joy's, the elation almost making her light-headed. But it was a great feeling. The best feeling. She never wanted to stop feeling like this.

It seemed like the lab and all her problems and worries just faded away. She and Joy absorbed the beautiful sight before them, never letting go of the moment. Or each other.

Now Riley knew why her name was Joy. Because she gave that feeling to anyone, just like she did for Riley. She looked at the yellow emotion affectionately, trying to get the nerve to speak.

"J-Joy?"

Said girl turned to her, looking at her and noticing her odd expression. Riley swallowed her nervousness as she tried to find the right words.

"T-thanks for doing all this for me," she finally said. "You're the best thing that's happened since I woke up."

It was Joy's turn to feel her heart become even more elated. All she had hoped for since seeing Riley in that container, even before her structure was finalized, was to give her a life. And she did. Whether or not Aggravation tried to deny Riley a normal life, Joy would continue to make Riley happy. Everyone deserved happiness.

She thought over the possibility that Riley would get a better room, with an actual bed. And some decent clothes, if Disgust's mom was still willing. And then there was more about the sports, and Joy felt that Riley would do great with hockey for some reason. And more pizza! Riley needed to have more pizza! Because who didn't?

The entire plan formed in her head as she and Riley continued gazing at the beautiful sight. The yellow emotion was confident things would look up, and Riley would be in better care than being just some lab rat.

She would be more than just half an emotion. She would be able to experience everything like a true native of Terracordis could. Aggravation be darned, Riley would feel at home.

They felt the gravity begin to pull, the wheel shifting downward. The higher parts of the city and the surrounding landscape disappeared before their eyes as they began to lower further toward the ground. Still, the image would forever be in Riley's mind. As was this moment. She never thought a mere thing like her would actually make memories, but here it was.

Her first real, happy memory.

She wiped her eyes, smiling painfully knowing that this moment was simply so precious. Joy continued holding her hand as the ride resumed, the beauty still surrounding them even when they weren't high above.

Riley felt higher than she reasoned herself to believe. For the first time in her short life, she felt strong. Like she could do just about anything with Joy's guidance.

Perhaps there was some potential to her name after all. Perhaps she really could be deserving of the name "Riley".

* * *

Even though Riley's appearance hadn't physically changed, still quite dull in comparison to Terracordian natives, she felt as if the glow that surrounded Joy's body had rubbed off on her and filled her heart, bathing every part of her being in an aura itself. This was the best day she ever had—well, she had only really had two days in terms of full wakefulness, but all the same it was better than she could have imagined in her short time being able to experience things.

There was so much that Riley loved about this world. She loved the colors and sights and sounds and food and fun and beauty and Joy...

She made sure to stay as close to Joy as she could, gripping the emotion's hand and drinking in the city sights around her. She was pretty sure that Joy was having their walk to the lab be deliberately slower, and that was just fine with Riley.

She didn't want to go back to the lab. Didn't want to go back to that cold, stark environment, to the darkness of her container that she had known for so long. She wanted to experience the world and be able to hang around with Joy as much as she wanted.

But both of them knew they had to go back. Even if it hurt more than either of them imagined it would after today.

Riley's mind played over everything that had happened that day, holding it all in her memory as her's and Joy's hands intertwined and they exchanged soft smiles. She wanted to make sure that no matter what Aggravation would forbid her to do, she wanted to have the memories and the experiences that had allowed her to grow.

She was stronger. She was more alive. All thanks to Joy.

Eventually, the two reached the lab and reluctantly stepped through the door. They both turned around slowly, still holding hands, as the doors closed behind them and the colored lights of Cerebral City vanished.

And then a loud voice boomed through where they stood in the lab, tearing a jagged hole through the happy feeling that had overtaken Riley, though she refused to let go of Joy's hand.

" ** _WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!_** "

* * *

 **A/N: Unfortunately it seems their happy, peaceful moment was too good to last. :( So next chapter the pair will have to face the consequences of their daytime excursion! I'll try to get chapters out quicker since I have just some editing to patch up on on next ones. Hope you enjoyed and remember to review! :)**


	7. Improving

**A/N: Back again, everyone! After Joy and Riley's fun-filled day, it's time to see how they deal with a certain head of operations being incredibly ticked off. Not gonna keep you waiting anymore, on we go!**

 **Disclaimer: I saw Inside Out, I loved Inside Out, I don't own Inside Out.**

* * *

The girls turned to see the hulking red and orange figure himself, his expression far more severe than either of them expected. Beside him were Delight, Panic, Grief, and Contempt, who were regarding them with both relief as well as concern. Riley felt a little better since the others were there, particularly Delight and Panic, knowing the two of them especially would never frighten her the way Aggravation did. She tightened her hold on Joy.

"Do you have _any_ how freaked I was when we found your container empty?!" he demanded hoarsely. "It took all my willpower not to just call the authorities to find you two! And _you_!"

He wheeled toward Joy, who shuddered, her glowing aura fading away. The older emotion scowled at her, clenching his teeth so tight they might break.

"I figured immediately that you took her away!" he grunted. "Do you have any idea what might have happened? Have you not learned anything from the day before?"

Riley's mouth grew dry, her mind clinging desperately to the events earlier before this. She tried to hold onto the positivity like Joy did, hoping that her inner strength would come to light. But she was incredibly terrified. It was Joy who spoke, her head held high as she looked Aggravation in the face.

"Riley was completely safe the entire time she was with me!" she said boldly. "All we did was hang out and have fun."

Before Aggravation could say anything, Panic rushed over and bent down to Riley. The blonde girl was not intimidated when he gently took her hand and looked over her wrist. Scanning it, he laid a palm on her forehead, no doubt checking to make sure she did not feel cold as the night before. Finally, he looked her in the eye, his expression overcome with anxiety.

"Are you okay?" he asked her carefully. "I mean, you're standing here right now, and that should say something. But how are you feeling?"

Riley managed a faint smile despite her fear, grateful to meet him again.

"I'm fine," she promised. "I...I just wanted to hang out with Joy." she added, gripping the yellow emotion's hand.

Delight came over and hugged her daughter, relieved to see both Riley and her were fine. Joy sank into her mom's embrace, one hand wrapping around her waist while the other still held Riley's hand.

"Oh, sweetie!" Delight sighed before pulling a bit away to look over Joy. "You know I would have been okay with this. You should have told us where you two were going though!" she added, her eyes becoming stern.

"You had us really worried!" Grief added.

"Sorry, Aunt Grief," Joy said quietly, regarding both her aunt and her mother. "I thought Aggravation would say no."

"And I would have," the large emotion grunted.

Despite Delight's initial stern look, it didn't last long as her expression melted into a pleased smile. She turned from Joy to Riley, equally happy the other girl was stable, and better yet, happy. "I hope you had a great time with my daughter."

Riley managed a small smile, giving a nod. "I...I really had fun."

Aggravation growled, Contempt looking just as unimpressed as they regarded both girls.

"That's still no excuse for leaving without permission from either of us," Aggravation said sternly.

Contempt stared at them. "And what if this "fun" had become a danger to her health instead?"

Riley was taken aback by their statements. She knew deeply that the experiences she had were nothing short of life-changing. Best of all she did them with someone she knew she could call her friend. Although friendship or not, Contempt and Aggravation were not pleased. She swallowed, lowering her head shamefully.

"I...I..." she muttered.

Joy frowned, pulling herself closer to Riley as she glared at both Contempt and Aggravation.

"Having fun would never be a danger to her health!" Joy argued. "And Riley learned a lot today because we hung out!"

Delight watched her with interest, so did Panic.

"What did you two do today?" she asked.

Joy's frown immediately disappeared as se beamed at her mother.

"Well, first we had breakfas—" she began.

"Oh, yeah..." Panic muttered sheepishly, "I forgot about the consumption practice we were supposed to do yesterday..."

"Well, seems that Joy already did that for us," Delight confirmed, smiling at her daughter. "Okay, what else did you do?"

"Well, we played some softball," she resumed. "And other sports like soccer."

"Did she get hurt at all?" Panic asked worriedly, rushing to go get a notepad to jot all this stuff down.

Joy shook her head. "No, no, she did great!" She patted Riley affectionately. "She's doing really good at the soccer stuff."

Panic fiddled with his fingers. "Physical activity. Interesting." His brow then arched in curiosity. "Did she try any of the more... energy-based-intensive sports?" Seeing as Riley was part-emotion as well as part-human, it was a good idea to test how present her emotion side was. If at all, or if all of it was masked or suppressed by her human nature.

"She tried," Joy admitted, "but those weren't her forte. So we just focused on the regular sports."

Aggravation huffed. Panic looked almost a little sad, but nodded attentively for the younger emotion to continue.

"And then I treated Riley to her first ever pizza," Joy continued. She grinned at her friend. "You really liked that, remember?"

The blonde just blushed, and nodded sheepishly.

"And then we rode the Plutchik Wheel!" she concluded with enthusiasm. "Riley and I got to see the entire city from the top! It was amazing!"

Panic had taken note of everything, nodding his head before lowering his paper to regard them. He looked over Riley carefully. "I just need you to come over here with your armband for a minute so I can record its calculation intake for the day, alright?"

Riley nodded, falling silent as Panic brought her over to the equipment. Hooking up a few wires to the sides of the armband, words and data appeared on the screen that tracked Riley's stability throughout the day. As paper documents of that information began to be printed for record, he looked over at Riley,

"And how have you been feeling during all this?" he asked. "Any signs of tiredness?"

"Well..." Riley responded, eyes to the floor. "I felt a little tired...But only because Joy and I were doing so many things!" she added quickly.

Aggravation had heard enough. He growled as he went over to where Riley stood, staring at at the young girl sternly. "You could have had another episode," he scolded. "If that had happened, how would Joy have saved you if you weren't even at the lab or without one of us nearby?"

"Okay, who are you to say what Riley had been doing was a bad thing?" Joy argued, rushing to face him, holding Riley protectively behind her. "I got her out of being cooped in this lab and saved her from being deprived of the life she deserves!"

"Oh, geez, not this again..." Aggravation muttered before turning to Delight. "Delight Astar, do something about your kid!"

Delight felt a bit startled by his brashness. The Council had been on reasonably good terms with one another for many years. But when Aggravation started using the full-name basis, he made it clear that he was highly disagreeing with their point. And being the head of the Council, he often took the view that his opinion was correct.

But Delight wasn't backing down

"I think Joy has made a perfectly good point," the woman responded briskly, folding her arms. "And Riley looks fine, doesn't she? Is that not considered an improvement since yesterday?"

"The kid could have fainted and started to disintegrate at any moment!" Aggravation argued.

"Actually," Panic intervened. "Judging by Riley's numbers, she was still at stable capacity even after a whole day went by." He grinned at this. "Almost an entire day at 100. So she really is improving!"

Aggravation scowled. Like all of them he was glad Ri—he refused to call her by that _other_ name that the younger of the Astar family had given their project—was safe and had returned. On the other hand, she had spent all day out there, in a world that she was unprepared for and she wasn't supposed to be too accustomed to.

But it was worse than that. Ri seemed to absolutely love the world so far. That shouldn't be happening. She wasn't even meant to be created to live strictly in their world in the first place—it had taken them so many Mind Guide transports to get the necessary pieces of humanity to create her that to attempt to do so again would be a ludicrous, time-consuming decision. Not to mention trying to create the same again would likely result in the project being without consciousness, or otherwise unusable, or easily broken apart. They had done everything so right with Riley that as long as she was here, thet weren't going to replicate it.

A non-Council member giving Ri an unauthorized name could only spell disaster, and likely attachment to the namer.

Ri had no idea of that. And Aggravation cursed himself in that moment for not having just laid out the rules straight to her from the start. Joy's involvement had sent the entire project into a downward spiral, and it was infuriating that Panic and Delight especially actually supported this. Had they forgotten what the girl was supposed to be?

Regardless, it seemed that now there was no going back. The fact that the girl seemed to actually improve only was serving to make the situation more complicated. But there'd be a way. Even if he let her have a bit of leeway to learn more about the world, needing to be at least somewhat familiar with both, the girl would get to her designated place somehow.

Taking a deep breath, Aggravation looked carefully from Panic to Riley, scrutinizing the girl as if he didn't believe her earlier assertions. "Are you _certain_ you aren't feeling dizzy or weak or like you're going to collapse or fade?"

Riley nodded, gripping onto Joy's hand for emotional support. "I feel tired, but that's because it was a long day." She smiled at Joy, her eyes full of gratitude, who grinned back in spite of the tense situation.

"Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to let her get out more," Delight suggested. "She seems to like it and her health is improving."

"So we can hang out more tomorrow?" Joy asked. Her color started to brighten more, and Riley's expression gave off a hopeful vibe that made up for her lack of a Terracordian's shimmer.

"Well, um," Panic nervously looked at all the others, flinching a little under Aggravation's gaze. "She does seem to be doing quite a bit better than she was yesterday... you are, right?"

Riley nodded, smiling gratefully.

Panic gulped. He was basically Riley's doctor moreso than the others, so whether Aggravation liked it or not, the matter of her health rested on him. And her state did seem to be very much improved over the day before. She was more alive, a bit more sure of herself, and most importantly she was _happy_.

And yet he knew that in terms of their research plan, the fact that Riley was feeling so happy around Joy was setting everything off-balance. Because eventually, Riley was going to have to be sent away. Sent away to that world that was drab and less bright and so much more limited. Traits that he saw in Riley every time he looked at her—both physically and at her basic structure as she was forming and even now.

He knew that it would be a sad day when the part-emotion did have to go to Earth... but with everything else going on he began to think that their set goal was being shaken up. After all, he had nearly avoided getting a black eye from Aggravation earlier when that was brought up.

But plan or not, he knew he had to consider what was best for Riley. If she didn't live a little and learn what life was like here, how would she ever properly survive on Earth?

Panic took a deep breath. His decision, he knew, would infuriate his colleague, but it had to be done. "... Considering today, I don't think it could hurt for you two to hang out more tomorrow."

"YES!" Joy leapt up in the air about three feet (startling Riley since their hands were still locked), hovering for a moment as she pulled Riley into a greatful and excited embrace. An embrace which Riley eagerly returned.

Aggravation looked like he wanted to murder Panic, but said nothing. He swore that once this talk was over he was going to look over the day's documents in the office (where Grief was now comparing Riley's stability and progress from her first day in comparison to the weeks and months before her Waking) and remind everyone what they were there for. But for now, he just sighed.

"Alright. Fine." He glared. "But what about the others out there? I bet they didn't react too kindly to you."

Riley felt her happy mood deflate a little as the memories of the stares and whispers came back to her. The mistrusting gazes and movements of everyone else who laid eyes on her, the constant reminders of how different she was and why she would never belong there. She was glad that Joy had been there or else she didn't know what she would have done. Or, for that matter, what other emotions might have done to her.

Once again, however, Joy came to her rescue. "Everyone just needs to get used to having her around! Sure they reacted a bit negatively, but she's still learning about the world! They'll give her a chance!"

Doubt pricked at Riley's heart. Despite Joy's encouragement and loyalty that ran so deep that she felt undeserving of it, she knew that she'd never truly fit in as an emotion would. No matter what kind of Terracordian she encountered, her very nature prevented her from being as vibrant and free as they were.

But she was gonna try, dangit. For Joy, she'd try. At least her friend would be there to guide her.

Aggravation exhaled, putting his own hand on his forehead in a slow sigh. "Just make sure she isn't damaged—"

Joy fumed inwardly at the wording, but bit her tongue. There he was, treating Riley like an inanimate thing again!

"—and we'll let you hang out tomorrow."

Joy and Riley couldn't help but be thankful for this, and even Delight and Panic grinned with pride.

"However." Aggravation looked down at them with his usual stern demeanor before indicating down the hallways that led up to the stairs and elevators that would lead to the lab where Riley had been kept. "You still need to sleep in your container. Just in case."

Joy's blue tips pricked at the mention of Riley's "sleeping chamber". She _still_ had to nap in that thing? After all Riley had been through they _still_ wouldn't consider giving her a real bed? One that didn't involve her hovering above the floor and stuff hooked to her body?

She was about to protest when she felt a light touch on her arm. She turned to look at Riley, the young blonde giving her an assuring look. Her friend wasn't too bothered by it, seeing as she had been "born" in that container and it did aid in her health when she had been at a low.

And it was a small price to pay if she and Joy could be together.

The yellow emotion mentally sighed, knowing that it was a minor exchange for Riley's freedom. Finally, she smiled at her, earning an even brighter one from her friend.

"Okay," Riley promised, turning back to Aggravation. "I'll continue with my container."

The orange red emotion nodded at this, just a tiny bit satisfied there was finally something going his way. He glanced over at Panic, who shuddered in the other's presence.

"It's getting late," he told him gruffly, "isn't it time for her to...get to bed?"

Just the way it fell of his tongue sounded so awkward. But it sounded precise to the pale-faced form in front of him whom Joy held close. Panic offered a small smile, nodding before he gestured both girls to follow him.

"Alright, come with us," he gestured like a father leading a troop of scouts through a forest. "Riley, we'll need to take a couple of tests before you can sleep, okay?"

The blonde girl just nodded, feeling too elated and proud to offer a word. Joy continued holding her hand as they made their way over to the familiar lab. Once they were through the doors, she potted her container, which was already up and running, waiting for her to get in it. This time she did not shudder at the sight, gazing at it like a worn out child toward its bed after a long trip.

She felt like that. The entire day had been blissful to her, and this newfound tiredness was not affective in the sense of harm. It was more like a good tired, the kind that would actually make her sleep. And maybe even "dream" as Joy often told her about. She never experienced these things called "dreams", having been blacked out every moment in the container aside from hearing voices only distinguishable by tone, that followed by simply seeing a blurry yet bright light that ached her barely open eyes.

But this time she felt sure would sleep the best she ever had. Even if this would only be her second night of true "sleep".

Joy reluctantly released her hand from Riley as Panic brought her over to a nearby table. The first thing he did was look over her arm, scanning her stability rating and jot them down on paper. This was followed by placing a hand on her forehead, no doubt checking her temperature once more. In the duration of their talk, he was certain there had possibly been a change of heat for Riley.

She felt like Goldilocks' bowl of porridge. Just right.

"Okay, all done, Riley!" he said cheerfully before gesturing her to rejoin her friend. "Just give us a few minutes to rework your container."

Somehow he liked calling her by this new name. It made it sound like she had never been an experiment at all. Although he knew Aggravation despised the fact she had done so, Panic and the others appreciated that Joy had sought to give the new being a different name so early. Plus, it would be a great cover for her when they eventually had to send her off...

She just nodded at this before turning to see Joy again. In her arms was the sleeping bag from the night before. Riley's eyes widened at it before peering at the yellow emotion.

"You're staying overnight again?" she asked in disbelief.

Joy beamed, nodding vigorously. "Of course! Why wouldn't I?"

Riley shifted a bit, playing with her hands a little. "But don't you want to go home?"

The yellow emotion chuckled. "Riley, home is always going to be there. Right now I want to be _here_. With you."

The blonde was amazingly touched by her friend's loyalty. Deep down she was very pleased that Joy was never leaving her sight. Whether she was awake or in a deep slumber. She knew she was really going to sleep well tonight.

Suddenly, a small ringing noise was heard over at one of the nearby tables, and Joy turned to look. She noticed it was Fear calling.

"Hold up a sec, Riley," Joy said quickly as she raced to her phone. Her friends had likely been trying to call her all day. "Hello?"

She was met by a flurry of voices on the other end.

"Woah, hey, calm down!" Joy exclaimed, holding the phone away from her ear for a moment, but still smiling.

Riley tried to figure out what the conversation was about, hearing a few "It's okay"s and "Don't worry"s from Joy's end. She couldn't help but wonder if the conversation was about her.

After hanging up, Joy turned to Riley with an encouraging smile on her face. "By the way, my friends say hi!"

Riley stared at her in confusion. Her friends? Those four emotions who were undoubtedly unnerved by her appearance? The purple one who held a great distance from her out of _fear_?

"Did they really?" she asked carefully.

The glow in Joy's skin faded momentarily, her smile becoming a little more downcast.

"Well, not exactly..." she muttered. "They were sort of just calling for me. I told them what we've been doing earlier and stuff."

Riley was almost afraid to ask. "And what did they say?"

"Um..." the yellow emotion searched her mind for the right kind of words. Her friends had been constantly worried since she left Disgust's house, especially Fear.

They overall missed her, and wondered if they were ever going to meet again. Without Riley.

"They said to be careful..." she murmured. "Both of us, they mean!"

But Riley knew right away what they meant. After all, she already knew none of them liked her, so what did she even expect? They just wanted Joy back, and no doubt they were blaming her for taking her away.

"Okay..." Riley responded quietly.

Both turned to see Delight and Panic approach them. The latter gestured to the container which was now prepared.

"Are you ready to go to bed, sweetie?" Delight asked her.

The blonde gave her a sincere yet tired smile. She could feel her whole body ache in the best way possible.

"Yeah, I'm ready," she responded quietly.

She allowed Joy to hug her once more before taking Panic's hand as he led her into her container. Her friend watched proudly, clutching her sleeping bag and preparing for another "sleepover".

"Sweetheart, you'll be okay here tonight?" her mother asked her.

"I sure will be!" Joy responded happily. "As long as I'm with Riley, I'm sure this will be another great night!"

Delight smiled at this. "You know, your friends miss you."

Her daughter slumped a bit, but still smiled. Fear had been hogging the call on the other line asking how she was doing and everything. It nearly went into a brawl when he and Disgust fought over her phone, and Joy felt a little guilty for it.

But they should have expected what she was doing. Especially since they knew how close she was to Riley, having started to visit more and more as her development grew. Although she loved hanging out with her, Joy hoped they would all be able to spend time together eventually. After all, Riley deserved that, just like everything else she received today.

"I know, Mom," she said. "They'll accept Riley sooner or later. I'm sure."

Delight nodded at this before both watched to see Riley inside her container, hovering above the floor as she was hooked up. Joy raced over to her side, pressing a hand to it. Riley was still vividly awake, and she offered her friend a tender smile. She reached up and slowly pressed against the glass, right upon Joy's palm.

This gesture nearly made Joy want to tear up. But she offered the biggest of smiles as she looked over her friend. Riley's eyes began to droop. Finally, she floated aimlessly with her head lowered, now asleep.

"Good night," Riley," Joy told her sweetly. "See you tomorrow. We got another big day ahead of us!"

Aggravation frowned when he overheard this. Just great, another play date with their project. He could only wonder what else Delight's daughter had in mind to "make Riley even more healthy"...

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 **A/N: Yay for the other adults of the Council having compassion! :) Well, tomorrow Riley and Joy are gonna have a bit more freedom to do things, and Riley will learn a bit more about certain aspects of life in general. Hope you enjoyed and remember to review!**


	8. Defending Riley

**A/N: Back with another chapter! Well, start into a new day, with a new opportunity opening up for Riley... and a bit of conflict to defend her as well...**

 **Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Inside Out.**

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That night in the chamber was definitely different from all the time Riley had spent in complete blackness. For the most part the darkness was there, but to her surprise, as time went on, she saw occasional snippets of color in her vision. Breaks from the darkness that she had become accustomed to seeing.

For a few moments, she felt frightened. She had never seen color and shapes like this when she had slept before, including those brief moments of wakefulness when she had been sleeping for all that time in her containment chamber... however long that had been.

Memories. All the fun that she and Joy had had the day before.

She saw them, eventually appearing as clearly as they had happened though from an onlooker's perspective, but she was still asleep. It then hit Riley as to what, exactly, was going on. Her fear and unease changed into excitement.

 _I'm... I'm dreaming!_ Riley thought to herself, her mind filling with a childlike glee. _So this is what a dream is!_

The shock that there was actually something in her sleep besides the comatose darkness brought a further realization as the view changed a bit. She wasn't seeing these things from her eyes. She saw it in third-person. she could see herself.

Riley felt stunned. Was that how dreams were supposed to happen? Did other emotions dream like that? She was part-emotion and part... human, that's what Panic had said. What was a human, anyway? She had intrinsic knowledge that they creatures more limited than the emotions and other Terracordian citizens, unfortunately having herself take on a good number of their traits. LIke being duller in color, it seemed. Did she dream like a human too? Or did both humans and Terracordians have the same way of dreaming?

And then the dream changed. She saw herself and Joy, as she would have expected, and also, to her surprise, Joy's other friends. But what really surprised Riley wasn't just that they were there, but that they were all in Disgust's living room.

And the other emotions _liked her_. They were talking and laughing and interacting with her as if she was one of them as if she had been part of "Team Happy" their entire lives. Even _**Fear**_ , the one who had run away terrified at the sight of her!

Was her mind saying this could actually happen? That one day she might be accepted as belonging with them?

She wasn't so sure. But _dang_ , did she wish it. Tears began to prick at the edges of her eyes at the thought, and she wiped them away. At least she had Joy. As long as Joy was around, she'd be fine.

With that thought echoing in her mind, Riley's eyes slowly opened as she was roused from her slumber. She was still suspended in the confines of her container, the wires feeling heavy on her skin. She glanced down, noticing Joy curled up in her sleeping bag. The yellow emotion's body glowed in contentment.

Riley couldn't wait to spend another day with her. But first things first—she had to get out. And with her body both connected to wires and hovering in the suspension fluid, it would be difficult if not impossible on her own.

"Joy? Um, Joy?". Still slightly groggy, she tried to stretch one of her arms and tap on the glass a bit, hoping that would wake her friend.

Joy rubbed her eyes a little at hearing Riley's voice, blinking her vision into focus before she noticed her friend was awake. "Riley! Good morning!" She leapt up out of her sleeping bag, grinning. "How'd ya sleep?"

Riley couldn't help but feel excited, energy surging through her as if some of Joy's boundless enthusiasm had invigorated her. "I think that dreaming thing happened!"

Joy's jaw dropped before she brought her fists close to her face and dancing in place as she let out an excited squee. "You actually dreamed! Or dreamt, but, you had a dream!" She eagerly got up to Riley's level at the container. "So, what was it about?"

"Well, I saw us," Riley admitted. "And we were with your other friends and... they liked me."

"They did?" Hearing that had Joy's heart surge with hope.

Riley nodded, unable to help a hopeful smile creeping up on her face.

"It's gotta be a sign!" Joy said with an eager grin. "They'll grow to love you eventually, I know they will!"

Riley was about to respond before the lab door opened and Delight came into the room, waving brightly at the two.

"Oh great, you two are awake!" She beamed, skipping over with a speed that rivaled her daughter's. "I figured I'd come before the rest of the team to check up! How you doing, Riley? Sleep well?"

"I feel great!" Riley said, wishing that she could bounce and move as much as they could (though still being in the container prevented much of anything regardless of her created flexibility). "And I even had a dream!"

Hearing that warmed Delight's heart. "That's wonderful! So glad to hear that, sweetie!" Delight beamed, noticing Joy smile as she used the same indearment term for Riley as she did for her daughter. She hurried over to the controls and started unhooking all the wires in the containment chamber and turning off the suspension energy. As the containment chamber opened, she called over. "Oh, Joy? I picked up your books this morning so you'll have them when school starts in a couple weeks."

"Oh, thanks Mom!"

Stepping out of the container and stretching, grateful to be out in the world again, Riley paused. She looked at Delight in complete confusion. There it was, another new term.

"What's school?"

Joy and her mom should have expected this reaction. Although Riley was nearly at the same height with her, it was almost easy for them to forget thst she had been formed with a physical structure like that of a human child. 11 if she recalled what Panic had mentioned in terms of Riley's exact age. With that number of years mashed into the process with the know-how of someone who had just been born yesterday with a limited scope of intrinsic knowledge, even a toddler would already know way more than her.

But it wasn't Riley's fault. Aggravation wanted to make her at a specific age where she was still adolescent, but able to be more mature in comparison and interact on her own at a basic level. But he didn't count on Joy befriending her and opening her eyes to what Terracordis was like. Even if school did exist no matter what civilized world they were on.

Delight shifted a bit. "Oh, school...well, it's a place where people, young or old, go to get educated."

"To learn," Joy said simply.

Riley's eyes widened in amazement. Somewhere where one could learn about everything? Like practically the whole city itself? Or more than that?

"It depends on what age you are do you go to a specific school," Delight explained. "It's called a grade, where they place you with other people your age."

"Like me," Joy gestured to herself. "I'm an adult, and this year I'm going to be in college."

"What grade is that?"

"Well, it's not exactly a grade. It's an adults' school me and my friends attend. I guess you could say it's kind of a 13th grade."

Riley absorbed this newfound knowledge, nodding to both of them even though she was unsure what a "13th grade" was. She nearly forgot that Joy was much older than her, despite their close heights. The blonde was well aware she herself was a child despite being a little taller than Joy, but Joy managed to reach toward her level of understanding. Unlike most of the adults that had worked on her, Joy knew how to act like a kid and be able to connect with one like they were on the same level.

"Wow, this school sounds pretty interesting," Riley commented.

However, her expression deflated when she glanced at Joy. The yellow emotion noticed the worried expression on her face.

"Does that mean you'll be leaving me?" Riley asked quietly.

At that moment it hit Joy that as soon as the semester would begin, her morning classes would prevent her from spending more time with Riley. Meaning their meetings when she woke up would be cut short, Riley would probably be cooped up in the lab while Joy was roaming her campus, not the mention they would miss each other like crazy! Worse, Riley would feel so alone and depressed, probably seeing nothing more than the confines of the lab all day. Unless one of the Council members took her out to get something to eat or show her around, but with Aggravation in charge that didn't seem likely.

Joy suddenly saw the negative side of going to college, and she turned to her mom with a helpless expression. Delight bit her lip, her eyes glancing downward in thought, unsure of how to fix this. There was no way Joy could keep skipping days just to accompany Riley, and neither were sure that simply bringing her along was the best idea. And besides, she was only eleven, like someone from elementary school.

Delight's mind halted as realization dawned on her. A smile formed on her lips as she looked both at her daughter and at Riley.

"You know," she began cheerfully, "it's never too late for you to go to school."

While Joy's expression glowed even more than thought possible, Riley appeared uncertain as she gawked at her.

"Me?" she squeaked. "School?"

"That's not a bad idea!" Joy piped up, her eyes shining at the possibility of Riley getting to learn more about their world. "I mean, it'll be a great way for you to meet more people, and then they'll start to like you. Soon enough my friends will starting making dates just to hang out with you too once they realize how great you are!"

Despite the cheeriness, Riley was far from cheerful at the thought. She still remembered all the looks and whispers that had been made in her direction the past two days. And to find herself in a place where she would be surrounded by those her age sounded almost terrifying. If adult Terracordians thought she was strange, what would their kids think?

She nervously rubbed her arm, looking down at the floor with uncertainty. "Gee, I don't know..." she mumbled.

Joy could tell she still feared the possibility of rejection. After that call from her friends last night, the yellow emotion was beginning to feel afraid of that as well.

But with a little more positivity and self-esteem, and the recollection of last night to further their confidence, she just knew Riley would break through. Just like she was sure the elementary kids would become interested in Riley and hopefully become her friends. She still had high hopes that Anger, Disgust, Sadness, and Fear would do the same. They just all had to learn to see Riley the way she did, and not let their human prejudice get in the way.

"Oh, come on!" Joy said, nudging her friend. "What's there to be afraid of?"

"Um..." Riley swallowed. "Besides the people?"

"You know, not everyone is like that," the brightly-colored emotion promised. "School is the best place to make friends. And the best place to learn about stuff. Like how to do paper mâché"

"Paper mâché?" Riley repeated. "Is that a sport?"

Joy chuckled sheepishly. "You'll get it. I mean, you'll be able to learn a lot more there!" She turned to Delight. "Right, mom?"

The older emotion nodded vigorously, feeling more excited about the idea.

"Of course!" she gushed. "Think of this as, not an experiment—"

Riley winced a bit at the word "experiment".

"—but like an adventure," Delight went on. "Like what you and Joy did yesterday when you explored the city. You'll be exploring an entire elementary school, and meet great people that just might become your friends in a heartbeat!"

Riley thought about it. Last night's events did make a strong impression on her, and she didn't want the feeling to end. If what they said about the same effect coming from a school was accurate, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea, presence of others aside.

"You really think I can go to a school?" she asked curiously.

"Well, of course!" Delight laughed. "All we have to do is speak with their office, hand them a file about you, get you registered, and you'll go to school! It's that easy!"

The happy atmosphere was immediately disrupted when a gruff cough echoed into the lab.

"And what is this I hear about school?"

Riley felt a chill go down her spine as she turned and noticed Aggravation's hulking form in the doorway. The scowl on his face showed that he wasnt at all happy about what he had heard. She flinched.

"We were considering enrolling Riley in the elementary school," Delight said, hoping that the taller emotion would be more willing to listen to a colleague.

Aggravation put a hand on his forehead. "Delight, she _can't_ go. She needs to be kept here, where she'll be stable and not under the eyes of others."

"Please," Joy pleaded, staying close to Riley and wanting to defend her. "Riley could learn so much there—"

"Like how she's bound to be shunned and ridiculed out there?!" Aggravation barked, gesturing toward Riley. " _Look_ at her! Someone created like her wasn't meant to go around and do as a normal Terracordian does!"

Riley thought she heard a roaring in her ears, her heart pounding in a mixture of anger and hurt. Aggravation wasn't just treating her like an animal in a cage, but like a freak who should be hidden from the world.

 _Maybe that's what I am..._ She looked a little like a deflating balloon.

Joy's fists clenched and she stood in front of Riley. "Why do you have to be such a bully to her?!"

"I'm simply ensuring that the plan to keep up _Ri's_ stability needs to be kept in place."

Riley recognized the tone in Aggravation's voice as he said her old name. Just when she had been starting to think that there was a chance the name Joy had given her could fit her in some way, the courage she had was squashed. Maybe she was just meant to be "Ri" after all.

"Aggravation, be reasonable," Delight said gently, hoping she could aid in convincing him.

" _Reasonable?!_ " That only set Aggravation off more as his head was set alight. "All of you have grown too attatched to her! You're throwning a wrech into our whole operation, and I will have no more of it!"

He toweed over Riley. "You are to be treated as you were meant to be! That means NO extensive contact with unauthorized outside sources, NO stupid little sleepovers, and NO GOING TO SCHOOL! You'll learn what I say you can learn about our world, and nothing more than that!"

Riley could only stand there as she was being lectured by the furious emotion himself. It was as if her entire world had shattered in a millisecond.

Just when she thought everything had gone smoothly, getting a friend and exploring what was out there, it all had suddenly been taken away from her. As if she never even deserved it to begin with. Her mind twisted between agony and hatred, feelings that were new to her and she was uncertain how to handle or even recognize them. She couldn't understand how this horrid character could just chain her to such a miserable life. Just because he had been in charge of her processing, it didn't give him any right to abuse it.

But he already put his foot down. And probably for the last time given he had basically taken life itself away from her. And what if she were forbidden from ever seeing Joy again, or Delight, or any of the others who cared for her? What if she was just supposed to stay isolated in here with little to no contact with those she had come to befriend?

She might as well black out and simply die. Or fade, or whatever happened to an emotion who no longer wanted to live. She didn't want to be alive if she couldn't feel that wonderful sense of living anymore.

Joy's heart broke the moment she noticed Riley's eyes become more glassy. As if deep down every word against her was like a punch to her already weakened body. Head of the operation or not, Aggravation had no right to do this to her. No one did.

The yellow emotion's bright aura flicked off, her expression almost as red as his own complexion as she rushed forward. She stood protectively in front of Riley, holding her back as if Aggravation's next words would shoot her like snake venom. She glared up at him, having a mind to just sock him right in the place that was the reason for Anger's existence. She never thought she would experience all forms of fury, let alone hatred.

But she was _ticked off_.

"You can't talk to her like that!" Joy shouted. "She deserves every right to live and breathe as much as any of us do. A lot more than the likes of _you_ deserve!"

Stunned by her remark, Aggravation's cheeks flushed a darker shade of red as he glared down at the younger emotion. She always had the nerve to criticize his work. He and his team had been working a long time to prepare their project for the impossible. Now this girl was making it all crash down on them. Just why did she have to be a younger version of Delight? Just why?

"You got some lip there, missy," he growled. "Telling a scientist what's wrong when you don't even know half of the stuff we're doing."

"What does that matter?" Joy spat. "If being a scientist means having to keep an innocent soul locked up like some animal, then I'm glad I'm not you! At least I know I have a heart!"

"Joy, don't..." Riley whispered tearfully, fearing it would just make things worse.

"Riley, you're my friend!" Joy told her. "One of my _best_ friends. I am never leaving you. And I will not give up on you either! I haven't over the past five years, and I'm not starting now!"

5 years? That was how long she had been in that container?

"Ri was not made to become someone's best friend!" Aggravation chided coldly. "She was made for something far more important!"

"Well, whatever it is, it's stupid!"

"How dare you say that about this company!"

"How dare you put harm on someone like Riley!"

Aggravation felt the flames flicker on his scalp. "You shouldn't have named RI, she's growing too attached to you!"

"Oh, bullspit! She deserves a name way better than something as terrible as that experiment term!" Joy rebuffed.

 **"OKAY, ENOUGH!"**

Both silenced at the risen voice of Delight herself. She held Riley close to her, glaring daggers at Aggravation. She had been very patient with him for so many years, having worked like a loyal friend by his side among the others. When this project began, she had her doubts because of what it would result in. However, as time went on, it felt almost as if they were giving birth to a new life.

And here this new life was right now, trembling in Delight's arms and on the verge of tears. She almost reminded Delight of Grief.

Although shocked by his colleague's outburst, Aggravation's brows knitted in irritation. "Delight, do something about your kid!" he demanded, pointing at Joy. "She is ruining this operation!"

"And you're ruining a life as we know it!" Delight accused.

"What are you talking about?" he grunted. "Delight, remember why we did this in the first place."

"Well, I didn't know child abuse was going to be part of the deal!" she spat in retaliation, looking surprisingly fierce.

Aggravation's eyes widened for an instant at the accusation, only for his brow to furrow deeper. "I am simply trying to do what we should have been doing from the start. Abuse is not the intent—"

"Then explain _why_ , Aggravation!" Delight demanded, hugging Riley protectively as the child was shaking and crying in her arms. "Explain why you're treating Riley like this!"

"You know as well as I do that we can't treat her like she's a normal Terracordian who wouldn't face ridicule from others!" Aggravation roared. "None of this would be happened if it weren't for _her_ ," he pointed at Joy, "trying to entice her into mingling with the others! Trying to treat Ri as normal will only delude yourselves, AND her!"

Aggravation's words pounded through Riley's mind like she was being tossed around in a storm. He was right that she wasn't normal. That she'd never be normal. She felt as if even the glow of Delight's embrace wasn't reaching her. She was just a scared, lost, newcomer to life who knew less of the world than a toddler, and was having it all taken away from her.

If yesterday had been like a dream, this was akin to what Joy had called a nightmare. And worse was that it was one she couldn't wake up from.

"Besides," the red-orange emotion went on, "what if her defense mechanism activates? We aren't exactly sure hwne it could be triggered, or how strong the reaction could be! She's unpredictable and needs to be watched!"

 _Defense mechanism_? Riley found confusion pile up atop her conflicted misery. Aggravation was speaking of her as if she were more of a ticking time bomb rather than a living being!

"It's better than keeping her cooped up alone!" Delight insited firmly, looking at Aggravation with a passionately angry expression in her gaze. "I know that we agreed to follow the mission and making sure her human and emotion structures worked in harmony to keep her stable. And I agreed with and respected that."

She carefully stood and removed her arms from Riley, only to have Joy to instantly take over in comforting her anguished friend. "But helping her be out in the world seems to be what's improving her stability. What would you have done if we _had_ just kept Riley in here, and no matter what we did, her stability kept wavering? We all know how long it took to get her particle structure in place!" She stepped closer. "You wouldn't have pulled the plug on the project, would you? You wouldn't have just let her die, right?"

Aggravation looked furious. "Of course I wouldn't! I—"

"Exactly!" Delight stared directly at him, hoping to do anything she could to defend the young part-emotion. "You would have tried to change the situation."

"More input and tests would have worked~"

"And what if it didn't?" Delight looked at him pleadingly.

Joy stroked Riley's hair, trying to meet her friend's eyes. But Riley refused to look as the adults quarreled. Her expression was glassy and in utter turmoil. All of this was going on because of her. It was her fault. Joy had to have picked the wrong name for her... someone who deserved the name Riley wasn't someone who felt as if she just might destroy Aggravation's little "project" out of desperation and a complete loss of anything else as life itself had been torn away from her.

This did not go unnoticed by Delight. Her heart pained to see the poor child like this. She had done everything she could to ensure Riley would have good experiences since her introduction. And Aggravation was challenging her last nerve right about this.

She glared, her eyes holding hostility that no emotion who knew her would ever believe. Aggravation himself almost shuddered, realizing that he had gone the limit on her own temper.

"Is this what you wanted out of the stupid project?" she accused, motioning to a tear-streaked Riley. "To not only deprive this child of a regular life but make her think she has none? Do you?"

Aggravation actually took a step back, holding his hands up. "Delight, come on, you know as well as I-"

"Oh, I know _better_ than you do!" she spat, hands on her hips. "We all took an oath that we would protect what we had been working on. This isn't protecting, it's abuse!"

"Delight, your kid over there is trying get her into danger-" he started.

"You're more of a danger than Joy ever could be!" she threw back. "Panic said that her health has improved so much since being with my daughter. Because she helped Riley know how to get a life! And by taking that away from her, you are basically killing her!"

"I am doing no such thing!" Aggravation denied. "I am keeping her stable-"

"You are making her depressed!" she snarled. "So depressed she could die of it, and who's fault will that be?".

For a few tense moments, the two stared at one another as if sending sparks of fury from their eyes and seeing who got struck first.

Aggravation groaned, rubbing his head. "Delight, we've worked a long time on this. You really think I'd want her damaged?"

"You're doing it right now! She needs more than just a bunch of tests! She needs friends, comfort, something to live for!"

"The mission is what she was created for!" Aggravation argued.

"But her whole life isn't revolved around it! That's only part of it!"

Joy held Riley closer, the latter secretly wishing not to be held. Just receiving physical contact felt like a hot iron to her flesh, the tears tumbling down her cheeks as she wished she was dead.

5 years. 5 years she had been forming in that container. Why can't it have been 7, or 20, or whatever numbers were higher?

All this arguing, yelling, and speaking about her as if she was some wild animal set free by Joy made her wish she had never awoken to begin with. It felt like the special moments yesterday had been nothing more than a dream like the one she had last night. This was all simply a nightmare.

Joy was on the verge of tears as well, wishing that it could have been much easier to convince Aggravation about all this. Still, she wouldn't abandon Riley for anything. She vowed to protect her and give her everything she deserved.

And darn it all if she had to fight Aggravation for it! She never thought she would ever use her hands for violence, but she was willing to claw the real red under his skin just to prove how loyal she was to his "project". Her mom was doing a fine job tearing him verbally into pieces, making him feel like the trash he truly was being right now.

She felt pretty bad having to call Anger's dad out like this, but it was becoming unbearable. And, like her mom, her patience was waning. She continued stroking Riley, wondering if this quarrel was ever going to stop. It was only morning and it felt like all this chaos was happening for hours.

However, a soft yet nervous tone broke it up. One both Riley and Joy were relieved to hear.

"What..what's going on? What's all this yelling?"

Everyone turned to look up, the surprise of someone else coming into the room disrupting the argument. It was Panic, with his white lab coat trailing behind him and a wide look in his eyes that had him wonder if maybe he had picked a bad time to come in here.

But then he saw the dejected, depressed expression on Riley's tear-stained face, and knew that he absolutely _had_ come at the right time. Riley was in turmoil from something.

"Riley!" He hurried over and knealt beside Joy and Riley, trying to get the latter to meet his gaze. "What's wrong?!"

Riley, still shuddering, looked at him but was unable to answer.

"Ask HIM!" Delight shouted, pointing at Anger as her own patience was wearing thin. Desperate to defend Riley and have Aggravation realize that the mission wasn't Riley's be-all-end-all focus of existence, she was relieved that Panic was there to further their case. After all, Panic was Riley's technician, her doctor, the one who had probably spent the most time in the chamber when she was first developing as Ri. Even if some of that time he didn't say much. If any one of them could conclude what was best for the young part-emotion, it was him.

Panic narrowed his eyes at Aggravation. "W-Why is Riley like this?! What happened?"

"She wanted to actually go to _school_ ," Aggravation grumped. "I was putting her in her place."

Panic's gaze flicked from Riley to Aggravation again. "By what, _terrifying_ her?" he fought past his nervousness and stood to face his superior. "We were supposed to give her life, not take it away!"

"We gave her life, yes, but the more she gets integrated to the outside world like Delight's kid is insisting, the more she'll get used to it!"

"And that's a bad thing?" Panic challenged.

"Of course it is!" Aggravation nearly shouted. "She could get damaged, or this world could have an effect on her, or she'd want to see more!" He made sure not to indicate that Riley was eventually going to be sent away—that was strictly between the members of the team and their spouses, and not even their children were privy to that knowledge. Not even Joy.

 _Especially_ not Joy.

Panic cleared his throat, wanting to try to help smooth things over. "Well as long as Riley stays with Joy, her health seems to be holding out good. Not just in stability, but she's actually happy, and that's GOOD for her!" His heart ached as he glanced at Riley again, who had glanced up cautiously but was still clearly shaking up by the arguments going on that had her at the center of discussion. "Being around Joy is good for her development."

Aggravation glared.

Panic found himself intimidated by Aggravation's gaze (much more than usual), but he tried to at least show a little bravado for Riley's sake. "If Riley wants to go to school, she can. As long as she's careful and she keeps her stability bracelet on, and she reports to us if anything goes wrong—"

"We. Get. It," Aggravation muttered through gritted teeth. He looked like he wanted to knock Panic unconscious for having the audacity to say that Riley, of all emotions—or, rather, part-emotions—was permitted to go to school. But he knew that if he continued to debate with these stubborn individuals, he'd lose trust from them. And if that happened, they'd be less willing to work with him. Which could leave their whole plan in shambles.

Taking a deep breath, he turned his gaze slightly to Riley, who couldn't help but flinch in spite of herself, having long ago trained herself to associate Aggravation with something bad coming her way. "If you can... somehow... get enrolled... I'll permit you to go to school."

Joy looked a bit more hopeful, some of her color returning as she tried to comfort Riley, who still didn't seem up to speaking. "R-Really?"

"As long as there is a limit on... after-school activities," Aggravation scrunched his face as if the phrase left a foul taste in his mouth, "then yes. Just for a while."

As words of encouagement were then directed toward Riley on this permission grant, there was only one potential upside that Aggravation could see to such a decision. If the other kids shunned the girl, as he suspected they would, she wouldn't be too keen on being around others as much anymore, which meant that getting her to leave their world would be easier.

With Joy around, however, even that rail of keeping things on track seemed to be threatening to head off course.

Joy, however, forced herself to pay no more mind to Aggravation. All she focused on was helping her trembling friend to stand up, holding Riley close and searching for any sign that the defeated glassiness of her eyes was fading.

For an instant, a grateful moment, a flicker or something a bit brighter than that spiraling depression was alight in Riley's eyes.

"Just go," Aggravation barked. "And stay out of trouble."

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 **A/N: I know that Joy's friends weren't in this chapter, but I intend to have them make an appearance in the next one, don't worry—and I'll get the next one up sooner too, don't worry—I already have a LOT planned out here. ;)**


	9. Trust And Mistrust

**A/N: Hi everyone! Well, here there's gonna be a bit of a plea from Fear and the others to try to get Joy to come back to them. But don't worry, they'll have a much bigger part to play in the chapter after next one-I hope to get chapters of this story up a lot quicker. Anyway, onward!**

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Joy could not have felt more relieved as she gazed at Riley in her arms. Although her response was slow, the lithe blonde managed to shine her own relief in her eyes. Hope flickered in them like an everlasting flame, and that was more than enough for Joy to burst with tears of...well, joy.

"Did you hear that, Riley?" the yellow emotion exclaimed happily, relieved more than anything that she and her mother had been able to win Riley's case. "You can go to school! You'll finally get to go to school!"

The younger girl could only smile, still overwhelmed after what she had just endured moments before. But the feeling was incredible elation, and she felt the strength return to her weak body.

That had been so scary, the fight, the heated words, and the fact that she was considerably "nothing more than an experiment" in Aggravation's eyes, all so terrifying. Yet, as always, Joy had been right by her side, and saved her once more. Riley also was grateful to Delight and Panic, both who had clung to her side and debated for her right. She knew the latter had some sort of intimidation problem when it came to interacting with Aggravation—and with the red-orange emotion's temper, it would be hard for anyone to fault him for it. And despite everything, he had been so brave to stand up for her like that.

And yet he was the father of someone who absolutely _feared_ her?

Guess it wasn't always like father, like son. Panic was a hero to her, just like Joy and Delight. And she couldn't have been more fortunate to have these good people speak heavily of her name with honor, willing to defend her right to get out there and enjoy life as a normal Terracordian did.

Panic swallowed the lump he didn't realize he had in his throat. To think he actually talked down to the most tempered of the emotions on the team. _Him_ of all people. He half-expected some sort of verbal clobbering—or even physical—that would leave him damaged for days. But somehow he won over Aggravation. They all did.

He turned to see that Riley was looking so much better. The light in her eyes and face were coming back, looking much more healthy and happy. He smiled to himself, grateful that he had won her case. She really could use the extra education. It would prepare her further for the life that would come soon enough. Although seeing how much closer she and Joy were pained his heart. The closer they got the harder it would be. And the fact that Delight became part of the project to look after the child was already making it hard enough. Like she would be willing to be Riley's substitute mother.

Why did this job have to be so complicated?

Delight rubbed her forehead, stunned she had been verbally brutal toward her colleague. She hardly got angry, neither did her daughter. But Riley meant so much to both of them, and for her rights they would argue endlessly.

She was only grateful that they managed to pull Aggravation's temper in before things could have likely mentally forced herself to black out—perhaps permanently—from being so overwhelmed with depression. After all, the part-emotion was still trying to figure out what basic feelings were, and not even the team was certain of her capabilities yet. Could she force her mind to go into a shut-down?

Delight didn't know, and she never wanted to find out.

But now Riley could finally go to school. Hopefully, she would learn to interact with others besides Joy, and maybe make new friends. Delight turned back to Aggravation, who was just beginning to cool down. He was still peeved, but what else was new?

"Thank you for accepting our proposal," she spoke, her voice almost sickeningly sweet just to spite him, "I'll call the school right away and further other things for her registration."

The red orange emotion glanced at her, his expression a mix of defeat and annoyance. "Fine," he grumbled.

"Oh, Delight, good thing you mentioned that," Panic stated as he turned to her, "I'm already starting to plan about how Riley's file would turn out. I'll get a list with contacts, which is us, followed by possible excuse notes in case PE gets too hard for her."

Delight chuckled. "Panic, PE is basically just playing. Nothing will happen."

"You never know," he grimaced, "there's always dodgeball... I still remember what happened with Fear that one time."

As happy as Joy was that Riley was going to be able to get an education, Joy winced slightly at the memory. Back when she and her friends (save Anger) had attended elementary school together, several of the grades had had a dodgeball tournament on field day. Being a few months older than Joy didn't give him much of an advantage, as the lanky emotion was still becoming used to his growth spurt he was going through. And just as Joy was about to score a point, Fear got in the way and accidentally got hit right in the head.

He ended up getting a bad concussion from that, and Joy was still amazed that her jittery friend had forgiven her for it immediately once he stopped talking nonsense.

But she was sure that Riley would be fine—she was pretty sports-capable already. "Don't worry," she added to Riley, "I'm sure you'll be great with sports!"

As Joy hugged Riley tighter, the part-emotion's mind was at ease once more, the feeling of hope reignited just like all her other desires. School sounded so appealing, like the city she and Joy had explored last night. While Riley still feared for how she would interact with people her age, if there were those like Joy, then she was sure to never be alone.

"Isn't this awesome, Riley?" Joy gushed. "Oh, man, we need to get you ready and everything!"

Riley blinked at her. "Ready?"

"Of course, silly!" the yellow emotion giggled. "We need to talk to Disgust's mom about getting you something nice to wear, or we can go shopping to get some clothes for you! Oh, and school supplies! I remember seeing a cute lunchbox at the store I just know you'll like!"

She turned to her mother with excitement, clutching Riley's hands.

"Mom, we need to do some serious "going to school" shopping for her!" she exclaimed.

Delight smiled. "Of course, sweetheart. Anything for Riley." Her eyes dazzled as she looked over the younger girl.

"Hey, you guys are wasting your time..." Aggravation grumbled. "Just go before I change my mind."

Delight frowned at him for a moment before grinning back at Riley. "We still need to run some tests on you before we resume anything else," she told her gently. "Would that be okay?"

Riley felt no fright about this, feeling spirited as she gave Joy's mother a nod. "I don't mind," she said quietly.

"Good!" Delight said cheerfully, clapping her hands together. "Panic, let's go check over Riley's stability ratings. Let's record what we got. I want to make this fast so we can start calling the office at the school."

"Will it be the one I attended?" Joy asked hopefully.

"Of course," her mother responded. "What better school for Riley to attend than the one you did?"

"Yay!" Joy cheered before embracing Riley once more. "You're _so_ going to love it there! Epiphany Elementary was the best!"

Riley merely smiled, nodding.

"Alright, kid," Panic said as he gestured for her to follow him to a nearby table, "let's check you over before checking you out." He chuckled at his own wording before looking at a clipboard he picked up.

He then lifted his gaze before turning to Joy.

"By the way," he told her, "my son called. He wanted me to ask you to call him back as soon as possible. Says he and others have been missing you."

"Will do!" Joy assured, though she tried to hide the brief frown that flickered across her face. She knew that Fear and the others were probably going to beg to see her again. Without Riley.

They missed Joy, and she missed them too. And yet... Riley needed her. Now more than ever.

Still, the least she could do was call, especially since now Delight and Panic were looking over Riley, hooking a series of wires to her armband to measure her progress and talking to her excitedly. Now was a good time to call Fear, since if he and her other friends did say anything against the possibility of them being around Riley, the girl in question wouldn't have her self-esteem lowered once again.

And Joy never wanted to see a look of near-suicidal despair in Riley's eyes like that ever again.

Giving Riley a small wave and mentioning that she'd be back. Joy picked up her phone off of the table before exiting the lab. Just in case Fear said something that might otherwise upset Riley. Taking a deep breath, she then dialed Fear's number. Heard it ring once. Twice.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Fear!" Joy exclaimed, delighted to hear her friend's voice.

"Joy, thank goodness you're okay! We've been worried about you the past few days!"

"Why worry?" Joy asked, keeping her chipper attitude in her voice. "You know me, I'm pretty hardy!"

"I mean around..." Fear sighed, his voice lowering as if whispering a secret to her. "You know..."

Joy sighed. "Fear, trust me—"

"I trust _you_!" Fear babbled quickly. "It's _Riley_ I don't trust!"

"Riley isn't gonna hurt me. She's fine, we had such a GREAT time yesterday!" She found excitement bubbling in her chest as she spoke, her own memories of the day before filling her mind again and recalling how it was one of the most fun days of her life. "Riley actually got to try food, and I taught her about sports, and we rode on the wheel—"

"M-Maybe you could come over sometime today?" Fear interrupted hopefully. There was slight sadness laced in his voice, as if the fact that Joy was spending so much time with the being he feared most unnerved him. "Without, um, Riley?"

Joy sighed. "Fear, she's _fine_."

"You don't know that!" Fear's voice was becoming more desperate. "Being around her like that could be dangerous, especially with her being all unstable like that!"

"I've been sleeping over and I'm still fine—"

"You were WHAT?!" Fear's surprised shout was so loud that Joy had to hold the phone away from her ear. "She could have attacked you!"

"She was asleep in her container!"

"Joy, _please_..." The slight frustration in Fear's tone was slowly vanishing, replaced by a worry that was so signature of him and one of the things that Joy found so sweet and endearing. When it wasn't frustrating her of course like right now. "I just... I just want things to go back to how they were. We all do."

A frown crossed Joy's face. She wasn't sure what to say, her heart torn in two different directions. She missed Fear, and her other friends, very much, but Riley was still learning so much about things, even more ignorant of the world than a toddler. Riley needed comfort and guidance, and Joy was the most able and willing to provide what she needed socially.

Just as she was about to open her mouth to respond, the lab door opened to reveal Panic and Delight joining Riley out of the lab. Riley looked fine and distinctly happier than she had been earlier that morning.

Riley's happiness and eagerness to go caused Joy's heart to leap in her chest. "Sorry Fear, gotta go, I'll call ya back later, bye!"

"But—"

The dial tone sounded from the other side, indicating Joy had hung up.

* * *

Over at the park, Fear pulled back and stared at his cell phone in defeat for a good ten seconds. He knew that Joy cared for the other girl, even when she was first forming. But now that she was awake, even though her appearance and nature were terrifying and something that should not be, Fear was amazed—and a bit hurt—that Joy could spend so much time around her.

Sure he knew that Joy was a good judge of character at heart, but Riley... Riley was different. He knew that Joy had often gone to visit Riley over the past few years as she was developing, the others only stopping by on mere occasions and Fear himself only daring to say a word to the forming part-human once before deciding he'd never go back in there again.

There were only two exceptions to that. The first was those times where his dad called to ask him to bring something from home, but when those times did arise, Fear had his mental list prepared:

 _1\. Enter lab._

 _2\. Give Dad what he needs._

 _3\. Run out and don't acknowledge Ri._

It was a schedule he made sure to strictly follow in those instances. But the only time he dared to speak to Ri was when Joy was also there, and she begged him to at least say something to Ri.

It was usually just a shaky hello, but at least even a word had seemed enough for Joy. And seeing her smile meant the world to him.

Too bad it wasn't enough now seeing as Riley had woken up.

The nerve-like emotion sighed, sitting on the park bench beside his friends. They all looked at him, waiting for the news.

"No luck?" Disgust was the first to speak up.

"No luck." Fear let out a dejected sigh. "I miss Joy."

"We all do," Anger muttered, "but it seems that _Riley_ is taking up all her time. The kid's like a toddler, jut let our parents handle her!"

"She really seems to get along with Joy," Sadness pointed out. She felt that her cousin had the right idea in trying to befriend Riley, but even Sadness couldn't help but feel a bit uncertain.

"That's the problem, don't you see?" Fear exclaimed, leaping up from the bench and pacing in front of them. "Maybe Riley's just waiting for Joy to really let her guard down, and then once Joy's in no position to fight, like if she's asleep and Riley's out of her container..." He slammed his right fist into his left palm. "BAM, Joy's gonna be mauled! Or killed!"

"Or mauled then killed," Anger muttered.

Disgust let an irritated groan. "I don't think Riley's gonna _kill_ her, I just want Joy to hang out with us again." She kicked the grass with her foot. "Without Riley."

Fear and Anger nodded in agreement.

Sadness, feeling sympathy for Riley and Joy but empathizing with her other friends as well, didn't want to pick a fight with either side. "We can just try calling her tonight and see what she says."

"Fine," Anger muttered.

For a moment, there was silence between them. Joy's enthusiasm always brightened up their sports days, and without her around to come up with the wacky rules she sometimes did (like soccer-freeze-tag), the park seemed dull to them even though the sun was shining.

Anger's fists were balled, and the others thought they saw what looked like steam rise from the top of his head. "Wacky sports or not, let's just play baseball or something, and let's do it before I torch a tree or something."

The group went over to the equipment storage that Joy usually left, and Fear stepped forward to get the equipment, though his thoughts were elsewhere. If they did meet up with Joy, she'd likely bring Riley along. And Riley could hurt them. Or freak out. Or trap them in an alternate dimension with some freaky human-emotion powers.

The thought made Fear so jumpy that he started rapidly tossing the ball, bat, and bases to the others in a haphazard manner, not even focusing on where they landed.

Or who they landed _on_ , for that matter, seeing as the bat hit Anger on the head. The pain and frustration caused Anger's head to be set alight, and had that bat not fallen to the ground it would have been torched into ashes.

"HEY, WATCH IT!"

Sadness sighed, feeling a bit well, sad about the whole situation. Why couldn't everyone just come to an agreement?

* * *

Back at the lab, Joy managed a grin in Riley's direction.

"Come on, Riley!" she exclaimed. "We're going school shopping!"

As mother and daughter led the part-emotion away, Aggravation peered from the slightly ajar doors of the lab. His frown deepened while Panic smiled with content at the trio.

"She's getting too comfortable in our world," the bulky emotion told the lanky one with a grunt.

Panic glanced at him, sensing even more bitter disapproval in his tone. "At least she'll be ready for when the time comes," he stated. "She'll be very prepared for life on Earth.". He looked pleadingly at his superior. "Is it really such a bad thing that Joy gave her a name?"

"Once one is named, they get attached to the namer," Aggravation snarled. "I had planned to not give Ri a human name until the day before she left!"

"Seems like Joy had other plans."

Aggravation scoffed. "The kid better not get into a fight at that school or the whole operation will take even longer!"

Panic bit his lip, feeling anxious as well, but he tried to wave it aside for the sake of Riley's growth. "Well, so far she hasn't shown any signs of violence, just uncertainty. No need for that defense system of hers to activate. And it's a school, the teachers are there, no one will try to harm her."

He swallowed before he looked in the direction said girl had left.

"At least, I hope not..."

* * *

 **A/N: Yes, there is going to be a bit of Starnerve in this story, though the main focus in general is going to be on the relationship between Riley and the other characters, don't worry. :) I'll try to get the next chapter up a lot sooner. Read and review! :)**


	10. Preparation

**A.N: Been a while since I updated this, but I'm back from vacation so I finally can! So, I won't keep you waiting, on to the next chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I _wish_ I owned Inside Out.**

* * *

This was Riley's first ever car ride as the blonde peered out the window of Delight's vehicle. Everything passed by them so quickly she barely had time to drink it all in. But she was relieved to see the city again, last night's events coming back to mind—though she felt marveled that something could look so tall from the ground and yet small from above. Seated next to Joy in the back of the car almost felt like that moment on the wheel, just seeing the world from a different perspective.

However, she did have to duck her head every time they passed by other cars. Some nearly noticed the presence of an odd being who was neither an emotion or anything relevant to this world. Those who did manage to catch sight of her couldn't help but stare and whisper amongst their passengers. But she wouldn't allow this to bother her again. She was free for the time being. Best of all, she would be going to school eventually.

Now she was going to learn what shopping was all about. And judging by the excitement erupting from Delight's tone, it must be that amazing. Maybe as exciting as bacon. Or pizza.

They parked at in a lot that was near a large shopping center that practically towered over them like a cloud. In fact, the entire establishment was one big cloud shaped to perfect itself as a place to shop. Riley gazed at it in wonder, amazed by the structure and puffy white beauty. Yet another part of the city for her to experience.

Joy helped her out of her seatbelt before both girls exited out of the car. While Delight gathered her purse, Riley bent her head down as the stares came at her once more. People stopped to look at the pale-faced being who possessed no sparkling particles or any other familiar attributes. She fought hard to ignore the ongoing whispers that were based on her appearance. Joy held her hand, squeezing it softly, and soon she had forgotten all about it and ignored them.

The trio made their way toward the entrance of the shopping center, and two large, cloudy doors parted automatically for them. Riley's eyes drank in the wonders that was referred to as a typical place to search and buy things. On every corner was its own special section where individuals would sell something. The cooling atmosphere was almost too cold, yet it didn't bother her anyway. The crisp air felt amazing given the entire place was conditioned. It was especially packed, left and right people were coming in and out of shops, carrying bags and eating delicious snacks, some of which Riley recognized. Like a slice of pizza.

She and Joy exchanged another smile, the latter's more euphoric as they followed Delight. Despite some people stopped and gawked at the sight of Riley, she was too absorbed in her own enjoyment and Joy's to even notice.

So this was another form of what Joy had called "fun". Riley bet Joy enjoyed coming here with her mother lots of times. Better yet with her own friends.

That in mind, Riley wondered what had occurred on the phone with the one named Fear. Joy sounded rather hasty in hanging up, almost as if something had happened on the other end. Maybe she was in too much a hurry to hang out with Riley that she just had to hang up, maybe in the middle of a conversation or something.

Or maybe it was about her again...

"Hmm..." Delight pondered, scanning from one store to the next. "Where do we start first..."

"Wait, mom!" Joy said excitedly. "I almost forgot! I want Riley to get that special lunchbox I saw at that small gift shop nearby! It's perfect for her!"

Delight smiled. "A lunchbox is a great idea, sweetheart. Why don't you take us to that store and show Riley? I think she'll be very surprised."

"Okay!" her daughter chirped before hauling Riley down the mall. "Come on! You are going to look so good for your first day of school!"

Riley just nodded, feeling her heart pound with both excitement and anxiety at the same time.

Riley tried not to make eye contact with the keeper of the little and tightly-spaced shop. Almost everywhere they stepped, there was some ultra plush toy in the way. And almost every turn they make, there was always some kiosk carrying trinkets and other decor. According to Joy, this was a gift shop that sold simple things. It mostly made its sales from selling accessories like purses, bags, backpacks, and especially lunch boxes given that this place was mostly popular with younger people.

She and Delight followed Joy at the end of the store. The yellow emotion beamed before reaching toward a row of hanging lunchboxes. Picking one off its hanger, she looked at it carefully before showing it to Riley.

"Here it is!" she exclaimed happily.

Riley looked over the lunchbox. It was brightly red with a purple handle on it. On its front was a picture of the city itself, the main focus on the image being the wheel she and Joy had rode last night. There were also some rainbow stickers covering around the image followed by the back of the box, making it a real sight to see.

And somehow Riley liked the way rainbows looked in her eyes. The way the colors swirled together seemed almost mesmerizing.

Riley stared in awe at the lunchbox. It shone with a glimmer in the light that was as beautiful as the city itself, especially with the Plutchik Wheel displayed so prominently, and all those happy memories came flooding back into her mind again. Sure, to some it might just have been a pretty school lunchbox, but to Riley it was as if she had just gotten a gift that was crafted especially for her.

"It's so pretty, Joy!" she said in wonder, taking it in her hands. "I love it!"

"I knew you would!" Joy exclaimed, giving her friend a tight and happy hug. After a second of their embrace, Joy's entire body was alight with her signature glow as she practically glided along the ground, pulling her friend eagerly along.

"Next stop, backpacks!"

"What are they?"

The golden-colored emotion grinned at her. "You'll see!"

* * *

As the hours passed, Riley, Joy, and Delight went from place to place in their mall, looking for the perfect school supplies for Riley. Some areas were more sparse due to the schools starting their classes in less than a week, but they always managed to find something or other that caused Riley's face to light up, almost literally. Perhaps a bit of her emotion nature was shining through.

That was one of the things that Joy loved about Riley. She may not have had an external glow like everyone else, but she did have a powerful inner radiance that shone in her eyes and expression whenever she got excited. One just had to really look... why couldn't others see it too?

Riley was wearing her new backpack, a navy blue one that, when touched lightly, sparkled with light green stars. There was just something so intriguing about the hidden magic of it that Riley had fallen in love with it immediately. And she was glad that it was big enough to carry the other things they had purchased for her, or else she likely would have had her eye poked out by one of the pencils (as she nearly did when frantically trying to pick some up she had accidentally knocked over at a kiosk).

Overall, Riley could definitely count this as another "happy memory" time.

Joy began babbling excitedly to Riley about what her first day would probably be like. She tried to recall all her own memories of 5th grade, and reiterate them all to Riley in a way that would have it seem like the best thing ever. Same school, same grade, hopefully same experiences. After all, 5th grade had been one of her favorite years. Few days away or not, Riley was gonna be totally prepared!

Riley couldn't help but hang on to every word of Joy's chatter. Like everything else, Joy's description made everything sound so _fun_.

"I mean, we're gonna have to introduce you to the basic school stuff beforehand so you won't be completely behind—math, science, word comprehension..." Joy wondered with a curious amusement if Riley could read. On the one hand, she was biologically and psychologically equivalent to an 11-year-old human. On the other hand, it seemed that her knowledge extended to only the most basic knowledge about the world that would allow her to get by. Joy had to even teach her what _food_ was, after all.

"But what's _really_ fun are the activities you get to do!" Joy clapped her hands. "5th grade was like the _best_ year for that, we got to play computer games, new sports, clay—oh, and _maybe_ you'll even get to make a memory orb right away! We got to do that after the first week and oh man was it fun to do! It's like literally holding a moment of your life in your hands!"

Riley liked the idea of that, but was curious at the new terminology. "What are they?"

Delight turned around and smiled fondly at Riley just as Joy resumed talking, and Riley knew that whatever "memory orbs" were, they must be something good. "Oh, they're these pretty little sphere things that you store a memory in," Joy exclaimed, practically floating off the ground. "There's some in the lab's main office, and I have a few in my room I can show ya! You just gotta channel your energy and thought _just_ right and it can be pretty easy for any Terracordian to—"

The bright emotion stooped as she noticed the slightly uncomfortable look in Riley's eyes. It didn't take her long to figure out why.

"—learn..."

Joy trailed off. It broke her heard that she was beginning to know that look all too well in her friend. Riley was doubting her own abilities again since she wasn't fully a Terracordian. She may have some attributes of an emotion, maybe some hidden abilities buried deep down, but she was also part human—maybe even predominantly so. And due to _that_ prominent aspect of her nature, she lacked a particle-look, a glow and more flexibility of her body (though Joy felt they might be able to test the last one).

While Riley wasn't exactly sure what a human really was, the question still plagued her. What if she was deprived of having the very emotion talent of creating memories to hold and cherish in a way that humans could never do?

Riley voiced that very same concerning thought, looking at Joy with doubt in her eyes. "What if I can't?"

Joy hated seeing her friend so despondent. With Riley's mood starting to recover from the awful shouting ordeal this morning, she couldn't and _wouldn't_ let it be brought down again.

 _Keep things positive._

She put her arm around Riley. "Hey, I'm sure you'll be able to do it! I mean, we haven't really tested out to see exactly what you _can_ do yet." She gave he friend a smile that she hoped would be encouraging. "Just try to do as I do, and you'll see that you're just as Terracordian as the rest of us! It doesn't matter what you look like, we'll train you!"

"Train me?"

"Sure!" Joy exclaimed with a bright grin. "I'm sure these next few days can help us see what you can do a bit more, right Mom?"

Delight nodded, her heart warmed at seeing Riley and Joy so happy. "We have plenty of things that might be able to help with that at our house," Delight added.

Riley paused, looking as if she couldn't believe her ears. "Your house?" Her expression slowly got that bright look to it again. "You're gonna show me your house?"

"Of course we will, silly!"

Delight couldn't help but grin as Joy chatted away to Riley. She always loved how Joy had been so eager to talk to Riley back in her earliest development, and now that she was awake that bond had only grown a hundred times as strong.

Though the older emotion was absolutely thrilled that Riley was going to get to go to the elementary school—that she and even Panic, of all emotions, had stood up to Aggravation—one question nagged at her mind that she hoped wouldn't be too much of a problem, that she hoped she wouldn't meet near as much resistance as she had with her hot-tempered colleague:

Would they let a created, part-emotion being in?

Delight could only hope. For now, they needed to get Riley prepared for her first day. It would be just like when Joy was 11 and she taught her everything before her first day. If she could do so well, what more for Riley?

But if there was one con about schools, it's that there was always a moment when bullying would occur. There were days when Delight was called by the office to inform her that someone tried to pick a fight with her daughter. As enraged as she was that some other kid had the audacity to do that to Joy, she was always relieved because their side was always won on the case.

She only hoped no one would bully poor Riley. She had been through enough, and it wasn't like she didn't receive any from Aggravation. But with a heavy heart, she knew the odds of that were already stacked against the child. It was already bad that most thought of her as a strange being who didn't belong in the lives like emotions, abstracts, or any other of the myriad colorful beings of their planet, but to be completely rejected at school could emotionally damage her. And Joy would not be there to fix her back up...

But Delight recalled all of Joy's former teachers. They had been nice and very accepting, especially from individuals who had moved in from faraway places. Riley was something like that, and Delight was aware Joy's former homeroom teacher from 5th grade was still working at the school. She was certain he would be a great instructor and a very accepting friend to Riley.

The older emotion smiled at the young girl, watching as Joy showed her all the things they bought her for her first day. Riley looked very excited, her face practically glowing as if she possessed the same aura as Joy. That was a very good sign, and Delight hoped more of that would come in time.

"Alright, who's hungry?" she said sweetly. "Riley, I remember Joy mentioning you really love pizza."

When Riley's expression brightened immediately, that beautiful smile was everything to Delight, just as it was to Joy.

The trio sat at a table inside a pizzeria, Delight having ordered a large pizza with the pepperoni and cheese Joy mentioned Riley adored. They ate and talked while drinking up their sodas. The fizziness tickled Riley's nose but she loved it anyway.

Most of the customers within the establishment peered toward their table every now and then. There were whispers going around as fingers pointed toward Riley, but thankfully she made no notice of it. She was too happy and excited to care. That relieved Delight.

She knew very well that there were others who would not react kindly at all to "the project" being among them...

As Delight dabbed her napkin against her lips, she felt her phone vibrate. She quietly took it out while Joy and Riley continued conversing. It was a text from Panic.

 _Called the school. They said they were willing to put Riley in._

Delight smiled at this, glancing momentarily at said girl before looking down at her phone. However, the next sentence made her eyes raise in surprise.

 _They don't know about Riley being a you-know-what._

With the way those dashes were used, Delight could practically feel the tension in her colleague's tone, even through text. She couldn't blame him. Getting Riley enrolled as far as documentation was easy, but to actually show her face was a bit difficult. Also, how were they to explain to the principal that Riley was not like every kid at the school? She didn't have parents, of course...

But she did have a proper address for if the school sent anything to a student. Delight had told Panic to put her house number along with any other information, telling the school that Riley was in their care under their guidance for the time being. That was the other easy part.

Speaking of...

Making sure that Joy and Riley were more focused on one another and not what she was doing, she texted Panic once more.

 _Panic, what if Riley stayed over my house tonight?_

The reply was almost instantaneous: _What?!_

Delight took a deep breath, thinking over what to say before her fingers flew over the keypad. _I know, I know it's risky, but she's been doing pretty fine outside, and she can't stay in that recharger container forever. She needs some place to stay, to get used to sleeping somewhere normal before she leaves. And she already feels at peace with Joy around._

As she sent the text, she couldn't help but be a bit concerned—not necessarily about what Panic might think, for he was Riley's technician doctor and knew what was best for her physical and psychological well-being. At the very least, it had gotten Riley this far in her development.

It was Aggravation's view she was concerned about. The head of the operation might accuse her of being "too attached", as he often did even long before Riley awoke. But all she wanted what was best for Riley and her growth—adjusting to staying with a family would be the first step.

The older emotion was so lost in thought that she was startled back into the present at Panic's eventual reply.

 _As much as I hate to admit it, Delight, you're right. We can't keep her in there forever and we need to wean her away from it or she'll never be able to live on Earth. I'll let her stay and we'll see how she does, but I'll bring over some portable equipment and such to give her a check-up, at least for the first few days if this works. And if anything gets seriously wrong overnight that the portable stuff can't fix, bring her back to the lab, okay?_

Delight couldn't help but smile in relief at the doctor's approval. This, at least, was a big step in Riley's progress, both physically and socially. She just hoped Riley would be able to make it through the night without any problems.

But even if the night did turn out well, there was still the concern of what more direct social interaction with others would eventually bring. As difficult as it was, Delight prayed to Imagination that Riley would make friends. Or at the least just acquaintances. Delight could imagine there would be whispers, stares, and overall just pointing Riley out who would be seated in her class like she was the center of everything. Delight could even picture getting a call from the school informing her that there might possibly be a scuttle.

But, like her daughter, Delight kept positive. She had fought for Riley's rights against her own colleague. She accepted Riley even before the part-human had opened her eyes, she had gone this far for her. And worry was not in her right intentions just because all this was going to be new for the kid.

Delight texted back Panic.

 _I'll make sure to look after her. You can come by later to check up._

Sending it, Delight smiled over the girls as they resumed eating their pizza. With shopping done and their bellies becoming full, all that was left was bringing Riley to their house.

Her new home.

* * *

 **A/N: Yay, some progress for Riley! So, next chapter we'll see a little more about what Joy's home is like and how Riley does with everything. I'll try to get the next chapter up in a couple days. Hope you enjoyed and remember to review!**


	11. A New Residence

**A/N: I know this took a while to get up, but I went on vacation for a while and then the Internet was down at my house. I'll try to get updates a lot faster from here on out, so, onward!**

 **Disclaimer: Cartunesluver17 and I don't own Inside Out. We together own the established world of Terracordis now and yet to come, but that's it.**

* * *

Riley couldn't help but feel elated as she rode in the backseat of the car with Joy by her side, grinning broadly. Yet another great day once she got past that horrible morning, and just being around Joy brightened her mood immensely. Even the stares and whispers of other emotions became further from her mind now.

They drove past the labs, which caught the rays of the setting sun, and Riley involuntarily winced. Aggravation was probably in there, fuming and complaining to the others about her situation. She tried to put that thought out of her mind as soon as possible. She felt a hand on hers and looked over to see Joy smiling at her.

"I can't wait for you to see our house!" she exclaimed. "It's not quite as big as Disgust's so don't expect anything too fancy, but I'm sure you'll like it!"

Riley returned the smile in appreciation. Any place where these two lived was perfect in her eyes. She held her backpack close, clearing her throat a little. "Um, Delight?"

"Yes, Riley?"

"Am I gonna... you know... get to sleep over?"

Recalling her earlier discussion with Panic, Delight briefly turned to grin at Riley. "We're giving it a try tonight, and Panic's going to come by later for a check-up. If you do well tonight we'll try having you sleep here another night but occasionally return to the lab to be safe to get more tests." Her voice took on a much cheerier tone. " _Aanndd_ , if you do well with that, then there's a chance you can properly move in with us!"

Riley got a look of glee on her face that warmed Joy's heart, her eyes widened in disbelief. "Really? I could stay?"

Delight chuckled. "Of course you can, sweetie."

"Forever?"

"Yes forever!" Joy exclaimed enthusiastically before her mom could say anything. She hugged Riley, a gesture that the part-emotion gratefully returned. The thought that eventually she'd have a home, a proper, _permanent_ home, caused a warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest that she couldn't quite place. It seemed to be a similar kind of happiness to what she had felt on the Plutchik Wheel. A hopeful-happy.

But as they continued their drive, Delight's cheerful demeanor had lessened. Joy had affirmed to Riley that she could eventually stay with them forever. But she didn't know the full extent of the plans for Riley. She didn't know the exact purpose for _why_ she was created.

She didn't know that, eventually, Riley would have to be sent away to that planet a dimension away from them.

And even if Delight hadn't sworn with the others to keep the plans purely confidential between the Council members and their spouses, having grown so close to the girl, she wasn't sure she'd have the heart to tell her daughter. Or her near-adoptive one.

When they finally pulled into the driveway, Riley couldn't help but have her eyes widen. The house had a golden-plated roof that was similarly shaped to the points of a star, and the pillars that lined the porch looked as if they had captured sunbeams in concrete and suspended them within. And their yard had a small playground too!

She stared, wide-eyed, after stepping out of the car, and the two emotions couldn't help but grin at the look on Riley's face. "This is where you live?"

"Sure is!" Joy beamed, unlocking the door. "Come on in!"

Riley stepped in after the pair, her eyes widening further as she beheld the interior. Their kitchen was covered in wallpaper of blue and yellow flowers, with a table big enough to seat Joy's family, her emotion friends, and Riley herself. A chandelier hung overhead in the next room, and as Riley walked in awe through the hallways, she noticed a staircase spiraling upward. "What's up there?"

"Oh, that's the bedrooms!" Joy chirped brightly. "The kitchen, living room, game room, all those are down here."

"And the bathroom's up there too if you need to use it," Delight offered helpfully, going over to the fridge. "Now, what would you like to—"

"What's a bathroom?"

Delight stopped short and slowly looked at Riley, and even Joy wore a look of complete embarrassment on her face. "... Huh?"

"What's a bathroom?" Riley repeated, completely innocent and utterly clueless.

"It's where you take a bath and—"

"What's a bath?"

Joy blinked at Riley, then looked at her mother with an expression of helplessness. She then turned back to her perplexed friend, who seemed oblivious as to why the emotion's face had turned red.

Joy put a hand on her forehead. This wasn't gonna be easy.

"... We really _do_ have a lot to teach you."

* * *

Before going through the basics of teaching Riley about proper hygiene, Joy went through the bathroom and made sure everything was in its rightful place. Supplying toothbrushes in a cup and toothpaste on the counter, hiding away her pills—the last thing Joy needed was Riley seeing the pills and asking Joy or her parents what they were, likely thinking they were some sort of candy.

But once all those proper clean-ups were done, it was time to help Riley get ready for bed.

This was the first time ever Riley had worn something different other than that orange jumpsuit she had been "born" with. Joy had fitted her with a pair of yellow, flower-patterned pajamas that was one of her own. Because Riley was thinner compared to the yellow emotion, the clothes were a good deal looser despite their near-equal height. But she never felt more comfortable in her still growing life.

And she took notice of her own bare skin for the very first time, that was also new. Joy assisted her in the bathroom where she managed to give Riley her very first bath. The cool water made the younger girl shiver, but it was overall refreshing. And when it got warm, she never felt so relieved and relaxed as she stood under the shower nozzle. She didn't mind when Joy carefully soaped her face while standing outside the stall, a washcloth and scrubber at hand as she made Riley's first shower bubbly, a sensation that the girl at first found ticklish, but quite enjoyed once she got used to it. The shampoo was gooey and sticky on Riley's hair, and after washing it off her blonde locks became more slick.

Yet another new feeling. But a different category of feeling than those ones like "happy" or "scared".

She had been rather intimidated when Joy pulled out the hairdryer. For a moment, Riley thought it was some sort of lab technology that would actually hurt, seeing as its metal texture looked quite science-y to her. But the blast of air that hit her in the face—which admittedly caused her to cry out and stumble back at first—merely dried up her soaking body, drying her hair instantly. Her locks never felt more soft, and even bouncier that the "leverage" that could have been relevant to the way Joy's blue hair was made to stick up.

When it came to where Riley would sleep, she had assumed it would be in some other room with a nicer-looking container. After all, it was the only way of sleeping she had ever known herself, and couldn't imagine sleeping any differently. She recalled Joy laying on the floor back at the lab, but the only time Riley herself had been in such a position was when she had fainted. And that wasn't exactly comfortable.

Vertical-sleep was probably just a Riley thing.

But what Riley received, much to her surprise, was a plea from Joy to sleep in _her_ room. After all, being around Joy seemed to be a great improvement to Riley's health already, and that way they would be the first thing to wake up to each other. It would be like a sleepover every night.

While Riley at first felt a little hesitant about sleeping in a horizontal position and hoped she wouldn't be dizzy, she quickly agreed. After all, she'd be next to Joy, so it couldn't be too bad.

When they reached Joy's room, Riley was blown away by the size and overall decoration it possessed. The walls were a lovely sky blue covered with plastic neon green stars, followed by various posters of Joy's favorite artists and celebrities. Her bed was incredibly large that it could fit at least three people in it, designed in a lush sunflower yellow with puffy pillows and a striped awning over it. And stuffed animals surrounding it.

Joy beamed, bouncing on her feet as she noticed Riley's reaction. She had hoped she would like her— _their_ room, and the expression on her friend's face was everything she wanted.

"So what do you think?" she giggled. "Better than that container, huh?"

Riley was speechless, gazing over at the bed and bedroom itself with complete awe. No longer would she need to slumber with things attached to her body, or even have to find herself surrounded by a barrier that completely separated her from Joy. Instead she would be sleeping like any normal being...and with Joy right next to her given that she offered to share the bed.

This was definitely like a sleepover, but even better. And Riley had a feeling she would dream a lot better from now on.

"I...I love it..." she said, still in awe. "Joy, your room is amazing!"

"Oooh, I knew you'd like it!" the yellow emotion grinned. "We can do each other's hair, talk about how school goes, and even watch stuff on my computer."

She raced over to her desk where laid a laptop device that she immediately flipped open. Riley watched as she pressed a few buttons before a page popped up on the screen.

"We can watch TerraTube all night, even!" Joy exclaimed excitedly.

"TerraTube?" Riley repeated.

"Only the best online video-watching site on the whole Terracordian internet!" Joy gushed. "Heck, we could even make a video together and post it online!"

"Oh, yay..." Riley agreed, although she still had no idea what Joy was talking about. But she liked the idea anyway—she always liked Joy's ideas.

"I knew you'd like that!" her friend giggled. "Oh! I should really show you this awesome blunder someone posted last week! It got over a million views and you just can't stop laughing! I mean, seriously, it's so goo-"

They were disrupted by a musical tone that echoed through the room. Both Riley and Joy glanced over at a small, flat device that was a cell phone on the nearby dresser. At that moment Joy remembered a promise she made earlier.

"Oh, that must be Fear," she chuckled. "I said I'd call later and he must have thought I forgot."

Riley just nodded as Joy strolled over to it. Her friend gestured for her to use her laptop while she handled the call. While Riley curiously looked at what the internet was, still trying to figure out what it was supposed to be, Joy pressed the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" she sang.

She immediately pulled her head away as four voices boomed desperately on the other end.

Joy winced at the clamoring voices, hurriedly taking the phone off speaker. She turned and noticed Riley staring at her in confusion. "You keep looking, I gotta take this call for a minute, okay?"

"Okay..." Riley felt a bit curious as to the conversation that would ensue between Joy and the caller—likely Fear—but she didn't want to pry. Besides, this Internet stuff seemed kind of interesting.

With a grateful nod, Joy stepped out of the room so as not to disturb Riley. "Hey guys—"

"Joy, where are you?"

"We miss you!"

"You didn't forget about us did you?"

"What in the world is going on?!"

The barrage of questions—some gentle, some near-accusatory—threw Joy a little off-guard and had a twinge of guilt prick at her heart. Her friends likely thought she had abandoned them.

"Guys, guys," she quickly said, trying to calm them all down. "I know you guys all miss me, I miss you guys too! But I'm helping Riley to integrate more with the world—"

"Yeah, Disgust interrupted, her tone understandably bitter. "But it's like you never contact us anymore. For the past couple days it's basically as if none of us existed!"

Joy would be lying if she said that Disgust's words didn't hurt. They did a little. "Look guys, Riley's only been awake for a few days. I've been having her get used to the world, get ready for school—"

"WHAT?!" Four voices chorused the word in disbelief.

Joy cringed. She should have expected a reaction like this.

" _Her_?" Anger questioned in a tone that reminded Joy of his father when he wasn't especially angry. "Doesn't she have to be qualified?"

"I don't think she knows all that much," Sadness pointed out. "How's she gonna pass without knowing math and reading and stuff?"

"Mom and I are gonna train her!" Joy insisted, leaning against the wall. "We'll help her in any way we can!" She tried to adopt a more chipper tune as an idea came to her, a plea for her emotion friends to really get to know her new one. "Maybe you all can help and we can all hang out together!"

"But Joy—"

Joy felt a twinge at her heart at Fear's desperate plea. "I know you don't really like her, Fear, but she needs companionship. She needs friends, she needs people who will be there for her and people she can trust!"

"And you expect _us_ to be those people?" Anger asked, his skepticism clear in his voice. "We're not all that fond of her and Fear gets nearly catatonic at the thought of her."

"I do not!"

"You guys have been my friends for almost as long as I can remember," Joy said with a firmness in her voice. "I know that you're reluctant to try to welcome someone else in our circle of friends but, well, Riley needs to be around people who aren't gonna just run some silly tests on her!"

She decided bringing up the argument with Aggravation wouldn't be the best course of action. "Are you guys busy tomorrow?"

"Nah."

"Not much."

"Have some stuff but I can squeeze plans in."

"Why?"

"Because," Joy said in response to Sadness's single-worded question, "tomorrow we can hang out."

"Well," Anger said, "it's about time—"

" _All_ of us," Joy clarified. "Including Riley."

There was the start of a chorus of protests, but it fizzled our rather quickly. When Joy got adamant there was little that could be done, and Joy had become so close to Riley that it seemed as if they were inseperable. If they wanted to hang out with Joy again the next day, they'd need to factor the prescence of the human-emotion hybrid into it.

Somehow.

"... Fine," Fear finally responded with a sigh escaping his lips. "Tomorrow."

"Great!" Joy's mood was beginning to brighten again. At the very least, her friends were going to give Riley a chance. Reluctnatly, sure, but at least it was something. "Tomorrow in the park at 1 sound good?"

"Uh, sure—"

Joy was beaming to herself. "Great! Tomorrow at 1, then!"

"Yeah... great..."

An awkward silence passed between them before Sadness could be heard yawning on the other end of the line.

"You sound exhausted," Joy let out a small giggle.

"N-No I'm not..." Sadness immediately ended up proving her sentence false by yawning again mid-sentence.

"You guys should get some sleep," Joy said. "We all got a fun day ahead of us tomorrow!"

"Y-Yeah..." Fear coughed nervously. "So, uh... goodnight... Joy."

"Good night, Fear!" Joy said with her usual chipper tone, at least relieved that she had gotten through to them to an extent. "Good night, Sadness, Disgust, and Anger!"

"Good night," the others chorused, though it was more of a half-hearted goodbye.

As the call ended and Joy at least felt a bit more hopeful for the following day, she started to walk back into her room just as her mother came up the stairs. She was smiling, and Riley glanced up from the computer.

"Panic's downstairs," she said. "I convinced him to let you stay here now, though he said that if you start feeling weak or unstable in the middle of the night or during the day, we'll take you back to the lab and have you sleep in your container." Her expression was gentle. "That sound good?"

Riley grinned and nodded eagerly. "It sounds gre..." The word was interrupted by Riley opening her mouth in a yawn, her face scrunched up and her eyes fighting to stay open.

Delight chuckled lightly. "Someone's sleepy. Why don't you go downstairs to talk to Panic and then you two get to bed?"

"'Kay, Mom!" Joy practically skipped over and gave her mom a hug. "Thank you SO much for arranging it so Riley could stay here!"

"Of course sweetie. Anything to help her feel more comfortable."

Riley couldn't help but blush at the attention that she actually liked. A much preferable kind of attention than the towering disapproval Aggravation kept giving her as if it were a crime to want to experience life as a Terracordis-born did.

Joy and Riley followed Delight down the stairs to the main entryway, and there stood Panic wearing his white lab coat, carrying a black case that Riley hadn't seen before.

"Riley!" he exclaimed, hurrying over and checking her arm band. "Are you doing okay?"

"I feel fine," Riley said with a shrug, looking at her caretaker with a grateful smile. "Thanks."

"Still at full stability, good so far," Panic said carefully. He then placed his case on the table and opened it, pulling out a few items. These included a stethoscope, a headset to measure her brainwave activity, a small syringe, and what looked like a metallic stick.

Riley winced a bit at the coldness of the stethoscope against her chest, but based on Panic's murmurings whatever he heard seemed to be a good thing. The headset created a buzzing sensation in her head, and the stick that was waved around her to further examine her structural integrity was something she found almost dizzying from trying to follow it.

She flinched at seeing the needle of the syringe as Panic lowered it toward her skin, gripping Joy's hand instinctively. "W-What's that?"

"It's just a syringe, Riley," Panic said as gently as he could, carefully taking her other hand. "I need to make sure that your blood is still holding properly.

The part-emotion arched her brow at the unfamiliar term. "Blood?"

"It's like this liquid in your body that has these things to help heal you when you get sick," Delight offered helpfully.

"Oh..."

Wincing as the needle dug into her skin, Riley couldn't help but watch as the small container above the needle filled with some red stuff. The red color caused Riley to further cringe at the sight. Red made her think of Aggravation and how angry he got at her...

Panic gave her a sympathetic glance, gripping her hand to comfort her. "A lot of people get squeamish at the sight of blood, it's okay." Removing the needle, he cleaned the tip and placed it in a plastic bag before returning it and his other instruments to his case. The scientist bent down and beamed at Riley.

"Everything's checking out just fine so far."

His words caused the other members of the household to breathe a sigh of relief.

"If you need anything, anything at all, just let Delight know and we'll get you back to the lab pronto, okay?"

Riley nodded. rubbing her arm a bit from where the syringe had been. "O...Okay, Panic."

The purple emotion chuckled softly. "I better let you all get some rest. Hope to see you tomorrow!"

"See you tomorrow, Panic!" Delight called cheerfully.

With that, her colleague left, leaving the three to have the house to themselves once more.

Delight turned and smiled gently at the two girls before her. "He's right, you know." She gave each of them a hug, Joy embracing her mother enthusiastically while Riley reciprocated the hug after a few hesitant moments. She had to admit she liked this sort of close contact, especially having been in that container for so long.

* * *

After the pair went back upstairs to their now-shared room, Joy dimmed the lights and got into bed, snuggling into her blankets and looking at Riley expectantly.

Riley went over to the other side of the bed, pulling down the covers and getting in herself, laying her head on the pillow.

It was... different from her container. Very different. Her laying horizontal instead of vertical, some physical substance keeping her warm, and actually having some fluffy thing supporting her head rather than just the suspension energy.

But she did welcome the fact that there was no glass casing surrounding her.

She turned her body so that her eyes met Joy's, the emotion providing some illumination thanks to her very nature. She owed just about everything to this emotion. She owed her happiness, her experiences, her memories, actually being able to live life the way an emotion should... it was all thanks to her.

Joy grinned softly at Riley. "So? How does it feel?"

"Good... a little cold though..." Riley paused, trailing off a bit as she scooted herself closer to Joy, hoping the emotion wouldn't mind her approaching. She sure didn't seem to, as when Riley had moved closer her friend pulled her into a comforting hug.

Riley felt as if she were internally glowing. Being next to Joy and wrapped in her embrace was probably the most comforting feeling she had ever experienced this late at night—much better than her chamber—and she didn't want it to stop. Every moment she was with Joy filled her with life.

If she was going to live here, and have every day end with her and Joy just being close to each other and feeling like she truly belonged... that was good enough for her.

She smiled in contentment. "Good night, Joy."

Joy's entire body seemed to radiate with light in response. "Good night, Riley."

Riley rest her head on Joy's shoulder as her eyes began to close, her friend being the last thing she saw as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, things seem to be looking up for Riley, and we shall see what interaction with the other emotions will bring next chapter, which I intend to get up a lot sooner! Hope you enjoyed and please review!**


	12. Parks and Recreation

**A/N: Took a while to get this up, I know, but here it is! Finally e'll be able to see a bit of interaction between Riley and the other members of Team Happy! So with that said, on we go!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Inside Out.**

* * *

Dreams were still vividly new to Riley, given that most of her process, from her first realization of consciousness, had consisted of ongoing blackouts followed by blurriness. At first dreams, with their sudden colors and sounds that came to her when she wasn't awake, scared her, almost as if she was seeing double and Aggravation merely wanted to replace a "stranger emotion" with something far more obedient. Like dreams were meant to frighten her into submission.

But dreams were now a blessing to Riley. Like pizza. And this one was far more incredible than the first one.

There she stood, in the center of the park where she and Joy had been the first time. The sun was bright, the grass was lush and trimmed, and Riley knew how to put on her mitt. Across from her Joy had a ball ready in her own.

But it wasn't just her. Anger, Disgust, and Sadness all had their mitts ready, prepared for some serious softball catching. They were all smiling at Riley, as if they had known her for such a long time.

As if they loved her as much as Joy did.

The feeling was amazing as Riley opened her palm for Joy to toss at her. She caught the ball without any difficulty, and when she tossed it to Fear, the purple emotion grinned at her, giving a broad wink.

The catching and tossing became more enjoyable as they all conversed with each other. Fear asking how she was doing with his dad, Anger suggesting Riley try something like hockey, Disgust complimenting on her throw, and Sadness saying she was probably born with this skill. The fact that they were all talking to her, not even one bit afraid of her, it was everything Riley never expected.

Best of all, it warmed Joy's heart too. The yellow emotion grinned at her, catching the ball made by an amazing throw of Riley's.

And later after some catch, the six entered the Plutchik Wheel together. And before them the city lit up, just like the night before. Joy slipped her hand into Riley's, squeezing it gently as they all drank in the beauty together.

At that moment Riley felt another hand. Fear's.

He was smiling, not the least bit worried, and it amazed Riley that he had dropped all barriers he had put up just because she was different. She found herself loving the purple emotion even more.

"Look," he said, pointing toward the city. "Ain't it swell?"

Riley could only nod, still in awe that he was this close to her. "It's beautiful."

"Exactly," he said sweetly, "and we'll all show you the world together."

Together...

However, the next time Fear opened his mouth, he began to _chirp_ , frightening Riley. Fear wasn't supposed to sound like _that_!

Eyes flew open as she let out a gasp, Joy waking up seconds later with her. The blonde breathed heavily, wondering what in the world just happened. However, she calmed down as she glanced at her side. Joy's phone was going off.

"Ooh, sorry..." the yellow emotion said sheepishly. "I forgot to mention I turned on my alarm."

"Alarm?" Riley repeated with a rasp.

"Yeah, it's something we use to wake us up at a certain time," Joy chuckled nervously. "I thought you'd need it too. I mean, this is the first time you've gotten a bed..."

She quickly reached over and grabbed her phone. Turning it off, she glanced at Riley who shuddered a bit from the noise.

"You okay now?" Joy asked, relieved that Riley's structure at least seemed stable. It seemed that the two of them sleeping next to one another had paid offm ad Riley looked as healthy as ever.

"Y-yeah..." Riley sighed. "I'm good."

"Awesome!" Joy beamed. "Hope you slept well in your first time ever in a bed!"

Riley managed a smile. "I did. Thanks."

She watched as Joy bolted out of bed, like a flash of electric yellow mixed with some blue as the emotion rushed to her dresser.

"We should dress you up in something cute," she stated as she searched all her clothes. "I mean, yeah, the jumpsuit it okay, but you could use something else! I can talk to Disgust's mom sometime, but for now, you should wear something I got!"

Riley slowly slipped out of bed and stood before Joy patiently. Her friend pulled out something something white and something yellow.

"This top should help," Joy informed, "it's good for nice sport-days like this! And here, you can borrow my yellow jacket. It's real cozy."

Riley accepted them, looking over the yellow jacket that sported a large zipper in the middle. In a few moments Joy took out some dark pants that would cling well to Riley's lithe frame.

"You try those on!" Joy called. "I'm gonna go get changed in the bathroom, okay?"

"Okay!" Riley replied, looking at the clothes curiously as Joy exited.

Closing the door for Riley, Joy hurried to the bathroom with her own clothes, locking herself in it. Shedding her pajamas and putting on her dress, she then opened one of the drawers, shuffling around some of the things before removing the small bag of pills.

Popping one in her mouth and swallowing it, she thought over what she was going to do that day. She was going with Riley to the park to meet with Fear and her other friends. They'd play some sports at the park, maybe go out to eat somewhere...

She wasn't sure about the evening hours. Sure, she had _some_ ideas, but it would all depend on how meeting with the others went, if Riley and the others got along. And hopefully, it would go great, ad Team Happy would have a new member!

Smiling at those happy thoughts, Joy made sure her pills were back in their proper place before she returned to her room. She knocked on the door.

"Y-You can come in!" Riley called.

That smile still on her face, Joy opened the door.

Wearing the clothes that Joy had given her, the blonde was staring at herself in the mirror, smiling. She wasn't seeing someone who just got created from a tube. More like she was someone who was just...normal. Or at least close to it.

Joy's reflection stood next to hers, wearing her trademark apple-green dress and her feet still bare.

"Looking good, Riley!" she complimented.

Said girl just blushed and gave a stiff nod. "So what are we doing now?"

"Well, we get some breakfast in the kitchen," Joy explained, "then mom and I can go teach you some school stuff."

Riley's face paled a bit at the mention of that. She was still on edge about being able to understand and be educated in the most basic of things. She only hoped she could do well enough to be considered a good student at Joy's former school.

"You're worried, aren't you?" Joy asked her, noticing her expression.

"Just a little..." Riley murmured. "Sort of...I don't know..."

The emotion offered her a gentle smile. "Hey, my mom and I will help you. You'll get this soon enough!"

She quickly took her hand, dragging her out through the bedroom door.

"Come on!" Joy urged happily. "Mom's making pancakes!"

Once they raced through the kitchen to the smell of batter being baked, both were seated at a large, round table where two glasses of orange juice were already being prepared. Delight came in with plates of their breakfast.

"Good morning Joy," she greeted her daughter as she placed a plate in front of her. "Good morning, Riley," she greeted sweetly as she slid in hers.

The girls gave their greetings before finally digging in. Riley found herself practically enamored by the delicious taste of fluffy pancakes. The syrup and better made it even better, like walking on a cloud of some sort. Almost as if she were flying and she never wanted to get down. Joy noticed this and giggled.

"I get that way when I eat chocolate too," she said.

"Is that a really good food?" Riley asked.

"The best thing ever invented!" Joy exclaimed. "Seriously, I'll get you a huge bar later when we go to the park."

Riley's lit up at the mention of her very first play area. It would be fun to just do all that stuff again with Joy.

"The park?" she said with excitement in her tone, recalling her dream. "Really? We're going to play some sports again?"

"Not just us!" Joy informed. "I invited my friends over too!"

The smile fell faster than the fork Riley had in her hand, falling onto the table with a loud clack.

"Y-You WAHT?!" Riley squeaked, dread bubbling up in the pit of her stomach as she suddenly didn't feel that hungry anymore.

Joy hurriedly tried to encourage her friend. "I figured today might be a good day for us to try again at all of us being friends!" She grinned at her. "I mean, look how much you've learned these past few days!"

The corners of Riley's mouth briefly twitched upward, but her pride in Joy's statement was quickly overtaken again by the worry concerning Joy's friends. "B-But, I'm still not comfortable around them, and Fear will probably try to run away again..."

"And if we show them what you've learned about what our world is like, they'll hopefully start to be more accepting of you!" She gave her new roommate a playful nudge. "Come on, always room for improvement, right?"

Riley couldn't share Joy's enthusiasm. Her first encounter with Joy's friends was still burned into her mind as one of her less pleasant memories, even if her recent dreams seemed to suggest otherwise. She frowned, looking downward and fiddling with her fingers, a gesture that had become a nervous habit. "I don't know... I mean, they didn't like me, and Fear especially is afraid of me—"

"Riley," Delight said gently, picking up her glass and refilling it with more orange juice. "I think that meeting with Joy's friends again is a very good idea."

Riley looked at her in disbelief. "It is?" She wasn't sure how a situation like that where she would be directly shunned and geared could have any semblance of a good idea whatsoever.

"Because," Delight went on, "you'll be starting school in a couple days, and there will be tons of new kids there you don't know. Now hopefully they'll all get along with you and be your friends."

Riley bit her lip, unsure.

"But there's often bullies around schools and there is a chance that you could run into trouble. If you meet up with Joy's friends and they become more accepting of you then, well, it just might help prepare you to enter that school on Monday with gutso!" She went over to Riley and stroked her hair affectionately, to which Riley managed a greatful smile.

The grin was small, true, but it was enough to bring a wide smile to Joy's own face as she helped Riley to her feet. "You ready to go?"

Riley wasn't so sure, but at least she knew that Joy was going to be there to watch her back, just in case. Just as she always was.

"Great!" Making sure they had all their things together, Joy led Riley outside and leapt in the air happily as she noticed the weather.

"Sun shining, not too much of a breeze, perfect weather for some park-going with friends!" She took Riley's hand, hoping that her bouncy personality would prove to be contagious for Riley. "To the park!"

* * *

The pair finally reached the park in question, several families also around enjoying the day. Riley stayed close to Joy's side, hoping that she'd be able to avoid any stares and ridicule. Or scaring the crap out of the younger kids.

It wasn't long before Joy spotted a group of four emotions over near the park benches, ones both she and Riley recognized. It was her friends.

Riley felt her legs freeze up, suddenly doubting this was a good idea after all. encouragement from Joy finally urged her to move her legs forward.

Joy called and waved to her friends. "Hey guys! Over here!"

The moment the other four glanced in their direction, their expression of content were slowly replaced by uncertainty the moment Riley came into view. They tried not to show it, but the blonde could read faces even from afar. She couldn't blame them. This whole thing was awkward for her as well.

Fear played with his thumbs the moment he spotted Riley. How close she stood by Joy worried him further. Joy was getting too comfortable around her, and the purple emotion's concerns grew to the possibility that that the trust could possibly lead to Riley being able to hurt her if Joy wasn't careful. That was only number five in his list of "possible dangers"...

After last night's phone call, he and the others had discussed how they would be able to get through with granting Joy's wish for them to interact with Riley. Anger, as usual, was rather defiant and suggested they try and send Joy mass texts begging for her to reconsider. But that was just plain rude and they knew they could never hurt Joy's feelings like that. It was one of the things that made her so different from others, besides the fact she could actually glow like a morning sun.

She seemed really attached to Riley as she mentioned in the previous call, and others were worried that this friendship could step over their own. They had missed Joy these past few days, and wished desperately for her to come back to them. Movie Night had been boring, not because it was Fear's turn to choose a movie, but because there was no one to lighten the mood. Without Joy, there just wasn't any...joy.

It wasn't like they wouldn't do anything for their friend...but this was asking a bit much. But they would try to respect her decision and see if a second time would be the charm.

Disgust's eyes loomed over Riley's new outfit as she and Joy stopped before them. "Nice to see you not wearing the orange jumpsuit thing," she complimented almost teasingly.

Riley blushed, feeling even more awkward as she held onto Joy. She just gave a brief nod, eyes falling to the floor nervously. Fortunately, Joy spoke for both of them.

"I'm glad you guys came!" she said happily.

"Of course, Joy," Fear spoke steadily, glancing between her and Riley, "we really missed you."

"Movie Night sucked," Anger grunted. "The last few days were just boring without you."

"Aww!" Joy cooed, touched by their sincerity. "Well, I'm here now. And I brought Riley!"

She gestured to the blonde who felt her cheeks pale when the eyes fell on her once more. She still wasn't used to all those stares. Riley shifted from one foot to the other, unsure of what to say. She merely lifted a hand, waving shyly at the other four. At least Sadness gave a wave back.

"Um, yeah..." Anger murmured uncomfortably, "nice to see you again, Riley."

"Yeah..." Riley responded quietly. "You too..."

"See, isn't this great?" Joy chirped. "We're all here together!"

"Yay..." Disgust muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Anyway, I know a great hobby we can do all together," the yellow emotion suggested. "Let's play some catch!"

The mention of the familiar sport lifted Riley's gaze. Last night's dream came to mind, and she believed that perhaps it was a sign. A prediction, hopefully.

"Catch, huh?" Fear said, glancing over at Riley for the umpteenth time. "Uh...does she throw really hard?"

Joy laughed. "No! She just knows how to play. Come on, guys! Everyone grab a mitt and let's get started!"

Reluctantly, the others followed behind her and Riley toward the familiar bucket that carried tons of gear. There were enough mitts to go all around. Soon Joy instructed each person where to stand. Between her were Riley and Fear, although it seemed the latter was trying to make some closer distance without Joy noticing.

Riley gazed at her mitt with uncertainty. When she and Joy played catch, it had been a fun and excellent experience. But with the four emotions joining, Riley wasn't sure if she would be able to perform the same way in front of them. She was even more nervous in this open space with them all watching her every move! Why did Joy have to set them up like this? She really wished it could have been another day just for the both of them.

Joy felt the wind whip through her blue locks as she bounced the ball from one hand to her mitt. Her eyes scanned the area, one person to the other. When they fell on Riley, she could feel the tension arise. But she was sure it would all calm down once the game started, and everyone would finally see the amazing stuff Riley could do.

"Alright!" Joy called out to everyone. "Let's play!"

With that she raised the ball before flinging it at Disgust. The green emotion had barely noticed it flying in her direction as she looked over her own fingers. Fortunately she caught it just in time, grimacing as she felt the mild impact through her own glove.

"Heads' up!" she called, tossing it toward Sadness.

The blue emotion caught it with little difficulty. She almost tripped on her own shoes, but she pulled herself back up. Adjusting her glasses, she lifted the ball and threw it toward Anger. The red emotion needed to be careful, knowing his own strength was pretty "bold" compared to the others. He glanced in Fear's direction, aiming the ball at him. The purple emotion nearly got hit in the nose, but thankfully his mitt had been right in front of his face. He caught it with a sigh of relief.

Gripping the ball, he turned and realized that he had to throw it to Riley. Anxiety washed over his features as she spotted the part-emotion blonde gaze at him patiently, her almost transparent blue eyes making him even more nervous. Why did he have to be the one to do it?

"Throw the ball!" Anger called out impatiently.

Oh, Fear hated working under pressure! Just like his dad! The ball began to feel heavy in his hands, as if a huge stone had substituted it for this occasion that was literally looking him in the face.

"Fear!" Joy called. "Riley's waiting!"

He secretly wished he could have thrown the ball back to his friend, but she was counting on him not to act like a total wuss. Not that she thought he was a wuss, after all, it was Anger who usually referred to him like that...

Lifting the ball, he clenched his teeth as Riley prepared herself. He threw it.

The blonde braced for an incoming fast one. However, the ball was not even close in her direction. In fact, it went much more on her left, and went father than she had expected. The ball fell about a few feet away from where she was, which was quite farther away from where everyone stood.

"What was that?" Disgust stated, her expression her usually unimpressed look.

Fear felt his cheeks grow pink with embarrassment. He gave a timid shrug.

"I..." he gulped. "S-sorry..."

Riley turned and hurried over to where the ball landed. Either Fear goofed up there for a moment...or he did so out of rational _fear_ itself. She felt a prickle of hurt invade her feelings as the blonde thought that must be it. He was still afraid of her, and he was uncomfortable even playing with her. That toss was merely a way of hoping to keep more distance from her.

Still, she didn't allow her true expression to show as she returned to her post. Rolling the ball in her hands, she tossed it back at Joy.

"See?" the yellow emotion beamed. "Isn't this fun?"

Her friends glanced at one another.

"Yeah."

"Sure."

"I guess."

"Could you just toss the ball again?" Anger grumped, breaking the awkward answers to Joy's question.

Riley tried to keep her focus, trying to smile and at least get a word in, but it wasn't easy. Although hanging around with Joy had greatly improved her social interaction with the few she knew, groups who mistrusted her weren't exactly in her social comfort zone.

But she figured she'd try, for both Joy's sake and her own.

"So, uh, Fear..." Riley said hesitantly. She hoped that maybe if she talked to him, he'd become more accustomed to her presence. "What kind of movie did you pick?"

"Uh... um..." Fear's eyes darted, clearly wanting to avoid talking to her even when she was trying to engage a conversation with him. She was already too close to Joy—both physically and socially—for his comfort, and if that bond grew so close that they completely trusted each other, it could only result in danger. What if Riley used the opportunity to actually harm Joy, or any of them? What if something went wrong with her structure and caused her to have a mental breakdown? After all, she was a being composed of the makeup of two different worlds. And what of her defense mechanism he had heard about activated? What if she went berserk and attacked Joy?

Feeling a bid bad for Riley at Fear's constant stammering and looking like he wanted to be anywhere else, Sadness answered. "He picked _Revenge of the Mutant Shoes Part 5_." She shrugged. "Part 4 was better."

"At least it wasn't as stupid as Part 3," Anger grumped. "How can you even _like_ those movies?"

" _I_ should have been in charge of designing the shoes though," Disgust muttered.

Riley arched her brow.

"You wouldn't like it too much," Sadness said, tossing the ball in an arc to Anger though missing her aim since she was trying to look at Riley at the same time. "The plot kinda drags."

"What plot?" Anger and Disgust said at the same time. With a small grin at one another, Anger tossed the ball to Disgust with a roll of his eyes.

A sad smile crossed Riley's face. Would she be able to ever join in with them like that? To laugh an an inside joke or express a mutual feeling about something that furthered their bond? Perhaps it was just wishful thinking on her part, but she hoped that her dreams ended up having some truth to them.

"This is getting boring," Anger muttered. "Can't we play a game that's a bit more _exciting_?"

"Nothing too crazy," Joy pointed out. "We haven't exactly tested to see what Riley's capable of doing yet and she might not keep up."

"So I guess Raincloud Chase is out of the question?" Sadness asked.

"For now, yeah."

"Aww..." Sadness looked considerably more despondent.

"Well what, uh, _can_ she do?" Fear asked, taking a few steps away from Riley as if he thought "destroy every Terracordian within 5 miles" was one of the things she could do.

"Well," Joy said slowly. "She can play catch and football and soccer. I mean, she's tried those, she could try more..."

Riley placed her mitt down a little, looking a bit confused. Sure, she could play those sports, but this Raincloud Chase thing that Sadness mentioned seemed like it could be fun, whatever it was—Sadness was Joy's one friend who seemed somewhat willing to give her a chance, and she seemed to indicate it was fun. So by default, it must be fun.

Fear looked down at his feet. "Well, uh, we're not exactly sure if her human-emotion ratio could—"

"Please, guys!" Joy begged, her glow brightening a bit hopefully. "I know that you're still getting used to Riley, but she's getting used to us too."

"But she's not fully an emotion! She's barely Terracor—"

"Well she's _part_ Terracordian, Anger." Joy looked back and forth at her friends pleadingly. "Just because she doesn't quite have our mobility doesn't mean she can't play." She glanced at Riley, who had stepped a bit closer with a hopeful look on her face. "So you should let her play. If not an energy game, at least some sport like softball?"

They knew they were pushing her over the edge with their opinions on Riley, but her face wouldn't show it. They tried not to be too ride about her new friend, but it was still uncomfortable that the pitches were becoming less enthusiastic, much like Fear's. But it had felt like forever since they've last seen Joy, and they would do anything just to hang out with her again.

 _This_ was asking a bit much. Still, for Joy's sake.

Disgust dared to glance at Riley's direction, her focus entirely on Joy throughout the whole conversation. They were even closer than the others thought, and the green emotion found herself nearly envious that Riley received all this attention and coddling. Although the envy was mixed with a pang of neglect like the others did, Disgust knew that Joy would do a lot just for this so-called "emotion".

They were all here together, with Riley undoubtedly becoming their sixth wheel. They at least had to make the most of it.

Pushing a strand of green hair away from her face, she averted her eyes as she spoke to the lithe blonde. "So, Riley..."

Said person looked up in her direction ins surprise. Disgust tried to form the words in her head before finally rolling them off her tongue.

"W...which sport do you want to play next?"

It took Riley a moment for her to realize Disgust was actually asking her to make a suggestion. That was new. The blonde glanced over at Joy, who offered an encouraging nod, smiling brightly.

Riley pressed her lips together, noticing that all eyes were on her her. She scanned her mind for a good answer, reminiscing on what she and Joy had been doing the past two days. They had played catch, some basketball, and then there was soccer. No use for hockey right now because Riley doubted she was even good at it. She dared to glance up at Disgust, trying not to be anymore uncertain.

"Well..." she began shyly, "we could play some soccer."

"You know how to play?" Anger asked uneasily, still doubtful of her abilities.

"Of course she can play!" Joy answered for her. "Riley's getting really good at it!" She beamed at her friend. "Come on, Riley! Let's show them what you can do!"

The blonde merely nodded as the yellow emotion raced over to the sports bin. She quickly pulled out a soccer ball before hurrying to rejoin the others.

"Alright, first things first," she began before gesturing to the other emotions, "we're going to form two teams."

She pointed toward Anger. "Anger, your team will be with Disgust and Sadness."

He let out a mental sigh or relief, knowing that he got to lead a group without the inclusion of _her_. Even if Disgust wasn't exactly the best in most sports.

Fear's eyes dilated at the realization that he just ended up on the other team. With Riley.

He wheeled toward Joy who smiled tenderly in Riley's direction. The blonde girl rubbed her arms, more unsure than he was that she actually needed to associate with someone other than Joy.

"Joy..." Fear muttered under his breath, playing with his fingers nervously.

"Don't worry about it!" his friend promised. "Just have fun and make sure the other team doesn't get the ball!" She turned to the others. "Our goals will be the trees across from each other. Everyone got that?"

Murmurs of reluctant agreement sounded among the others, Riley remaining silent. Joy smiled before holding the ball up for everyone to see.

"Alright, let's play!" she announced before dropping it.

She kicked it toward Fear who nearly had a panic attack when it came at him. But he managed to get over it quickly and smacked it with the the end of his shoe. However, his quickness resulted in the ball accidentally ricocheting toward the other team.

"It's mine!" Anger shouted in triumph as he began to kick it from foot to foot, Disgust and Sadness behind him.

"Riley!" Joy called out. "Stop him!"

Flinching at the task suddenly given to her, Riley felt her chest tighten knowing she had to interact with the others on a whole new level. Still, she didn't refuse and her lanky legs pushed her forward. She felt sweat trickle at the back of her neck as she got in Anger's path. The short yet bulky emotion looked pretty tough, like the kind of person who could literally tear down walls. Still, she rushed at him.

Anger's eyes widened, realizing that Riley was really going to try and take the ball from him. He acted quick and kicked the ball to Sadness. The blue emotion's eyes rose in surprise but she accepted the change of course and took over. She maneuvered to the right just as Riley was about to block her. With her curvy legs and angled hips, Sadness was great at avoiding blocks. One of the best tricks she learned was able to do a twirl and swinging the ball to the other leg, almost pretending she was trying to make a kick.

She did just that as Riley tried to take the ball from her other foot. Blue locks swishing as she twirled, Sadness succeeded the other girl and rushed past her.

Riley grunted in frustration, a new feeling taking control. One that involved wanting to win so badly. Competitive streak, that's what Joy called it.

She felt the weight in her legs build up as she went after Sadness. Joy and Fear were heading in the same direction, all closing in on Sadness who kicked the ball from one foot to the next.

"Disgust!" she called before kicking it to the other emotion.

The green female almost didn't see it but she found her focus and took the ball between her legs. Now Joy and Fear were after her as raced toward the tree that served as their goal. Dress flapping as she ran, she felt a sensation that she actually would get her team a point.

Riley noticed the opening and took another direction. The moment Disgust was close enough, she kicked as forcefully as she could. The ball went flying, willing to strike the bark of tree it was aiming at.

However, Riley got in between just in time. She leaped with her hands held out in front of her. The soccer ball slammed her in the lower thigh with a loud thump.

Riley paused, staring down at the ball for a moment in shock. She had actually blocked the ball. From someone who wasn't Joy. Around other people.

And Disgust bore a similar expression of shock for an instant.

"Whoo, go Riley! Come on, kick it!" Joy called enthusiastically and giving her teammate a thumbs up.

Shaking herself out of her daze, Riley kicked the ball forward so that it zoomed past Disgust and just barely managed to reach Joy. The glowing emotion turned to give Riley a congratulatory grin and kicked the ball to Fear just as the opposing team members tried to take advantage of her backwards look.

Fear nearly got hit in the face and had to fight to recover. He felt a twinge of unease in his chest when he noticed how Joy looked at Riley, and how often. There was so much protectiveness and support and outright _love_ in her eyes that he was starting to feel left out.

And neglected.

And... _jealous_.

And most of all, fearful of the close bond that Joy and Riley had forged. Who knew what the part-emotion was capable of, or if something went wrong with her mental sate.

But these thoughts swirling around in his head were distracting him from the game. He'd have time to ponder such things later, maybe wracking up the nerve to talk to his dad about it. But he hurriedly kicked the ball toward the opposing goal and raced off toward it, barely managing to have avoided Anger's attempt at seizing the ball for their team.

But Fear's scatterbrained worry had disappated too late, and just when he thought he was safe from Anger, Disgust practically flew by him, and kicked the ball right out from under him, causing him to trip.

"Gotta be quicker than that, slowpoke!" Disgust teased. "Even Riley could have blocked that one!"

Right on Joy's heels, Riley looked slightly perplexed at Disgust's wording. She felt bad for Fear, but she wasn't entirely sure to take those words as an insult regarding her, or a compliment, or a little bit of both.

She decided both was a safe bet.

Joy lowered her head to pick up speed, practically neck and neck with Disgust as Riley raced to keep up.

"You're doing pretty good today, Disgust!" Joy exclaimed, complimenting her friend.

"Thanks," Disgust said, setting her eyes on the goal and hoping she could distract Joy enough. "Nice outfit choice for Riley, by the way."

Joy's mood and appearance instantly brightened. Yes, progress! "Really?"

"You hear that, Riley?" Joy called behind her. "Disgust likes your outfit!"

"Um, Joy..." Riley's face was slightly red at the compliment, but at the same time she was actually noticing that Joy was getting distracted by her.

"Sure... just hope she doesn't get it ruined when you lose!"

"Before Joy could even utter a "Huh?", Disgust kicked the ball out from under Joy, causing the other emotion to stumble as Disgust managed to kick the ball into the tree, grinning triumphantly at the satisfying thunk.

Riley paused in her steps, simply staring as Disgust gave a wave to her imaginary audience. Anger and Sadness cheered with her, making it very clear they were above the opposing team. The blonde glanced over at Joy and Fear. While the former was obviously a good sport about it, being optimistic as usual, Fear looked pretty glum from the quick loss. Riley felt pretty bad about that, but with Joy's influence, she felt that it was all in good fun. And the next game they would do better.

"Alright, nice one, Disgust!" Joy called toward her. "Now we can set up all over again!"

The teams didn't waste time as they stood against each other. The ball was placed between them, awaiting whoever would get it first. After a few moments of stares and preparation, both went at it. This time Joy managed to grab the ball from Anger as she sped past the red emotion. Growling from have lost his balance so easily, he and his teammates went after her.

Riley rushed to the other side of the field, Fear on her opposite. They watched over Joy as she continued kicking from one foot to the other, her yellow glow brightening as she became more restless.

"Fear!" she called, kicking it toward the purple emotion.

Although it had not been an air kick, Fear flinched as it came in his direction. It hit his side with an innocent thud, which didn't exactly hurt but still had frightened him. Looking over the ball, he quickly gathered his wits and dashed off with it. In elementary he was never exactly the best one in sports, but he always did give it his all. And there were moments when he succeeded above his peers.

Right now he was gaining the upper hand as the ball ricocheted between his kicks while the other team chased after him. Thankfully, it was only Disgust and Sadness who were hot on his tail. When they all played football that one time, Anger literally tackled him even after Fear already made it across the line. When it came soccer and Anger was on the other team, Fear was always afraid he would kick the ball too hard and hit him in the face. They had a few close calls before.

But this time Fear was outrunning the girls, both who were becoming a little breathless but still went after him. They all dashed across the field with the opposing team's tree/goal within view. He might just be able to get his team a point!

However, lo and behold, Anger rushed right in front of him. Next thing he knew Fear was being blocked in every attempt he made. He doubted he could kick from where he stood, on account of Anger possibly being able to steal the ball from him. And there was no way he could master the twirl-and-kick movie that Sadness was an expert of.

He glanced in his other direction to see Joy was already being covered by Disgust and Sadness. Green and blue blocked yellow, and Fear was worried they would lose yet another point to the other team if he didn't act fast.

"Hey! I'm open!"

The sound of that voice made his insides squirm as he looked over to see Riley. Her hands were up in the air, her lanky legs kicking the ground as she called to him. With he and Joy being blocked by their friends, no one had ever assumed Riley.

Part of him was unsure of the trade, mainly because he was still intimidated by the part-emotion and because he doubted she was that great with soccer right now. However, Joy was counting on all of them to respect and include Riley in everything. He was, after all, on her team.

He had to think fast because he couldn't avoid Anger forever. With that in mind, he reluctantly kicked the ball to Riley's side, completely surprising Anger and his teammates as it rocketed across the grass. Riley actually smiled at this, realizing that Fear had actually performed some sort of trust mechanism for her. Either that or he just really wanted a point, it was still something as she accepted the ball between her legs.

"After her!" Anger called out as he and others began rushing at Riley.

The blonde thought quickly as she hurried, her lanky legs kicking the ball just as Joy taught her. Left. Right. Focus. The yellow emotion's shouts of encouragement rang through her ears as green, blue, and red went after her. The adrenaline pumping through her veins felt amazing, and she realized that the burning sensation at her heels meant that she was really pushing past the so-called boundaries of what her "minimum strengths" were. She had never even tried to run this fast before!

She found herself grateful for this newfound freedom once more, because her body was reacting in ways that might possibly be relevant to emotions. And she felt the sweat further inside her jacket, which meant that she was becoming quite the sport Joy promised she would be. She was getting really good at all this sports stuff!

Narrowing her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips, Riley raced across the field with the ball being kicked in front of her. The other team's tree-goal was getting nearer, and she was just minutes away from getting her team a point. If she got that point, maybe it would make a difference between her and Joy's friends. And they would finally see her as one of them.

To her, it didn't matter in the end if they won or not, though her team winning would be a great bonus. What she mainly wanted was to be accepted.

Anger's eyes widened, realizing that she had a full opening to score. He turned to his side to one of his teammates.

"One of you gals go over there and block her hit!" he ordered desperately.

"I don't want to get smacked in the face!" Disgust whined.

Sadness sighed, rolling her eyes. "You're not going to get smacked! Okay, you know what, I'll do it!"

And with that said the blue emotion raced forward and headed past Riley. With her body covering up their tree/goal, she braced herself. Hands out with her legs spread, she awaited for Riley to make that kick.

The blonde halted for a moment, seeing as Sadness had a good chance of blocking her. She scanned for any possible openings, certain that a type of kick that would spiral past Sadness could work. Not wasting any time, she kicked the ball straight upward.

However, Sadness took notice of this immediately and used her body to block the ball. It was rather hard, but thankfully her sweater saved her from a more severe impact. The ball bounced off with a loud thud, making it fly back toward Riley. The blonde grunted under her breath, frustrated and feeling more keen to do a better job. When the ball came back at her, she knew what she needed to do. It was a strange and almost terrifying move Joy taught her.

She leaped up a bit and kicked the ball, using all her strength to ensure it would not let her down this time. The ball cannoned right off her foot, soaring straight at Sadness so fast that the ball was almost a blur of black and white.

Sadness didn't even have time to notice the ball as it raced toward her with the speed and force of a cannon. And it slammed right into her cheek with an even louder thump, what sounded like a crack reaching Riley's ears, sending the blue emotion's glasses flying straight off her face as she was knocked to the ground.

* * *

 **A/N: Uh oh, seems like Riley didn't know her own strength, and this could be pretty bad! I know, a bit of a cliffhanger there, but I'll get the next chapter up faster to make up for it! Hope you enjoyed and please review—they're my favorite form of feedback. :)**


	13. Guilt

**A/N: So, now time to see the aftermath of that soocer incident! ... It won't be pretty.**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own Inside Out.**

* * *

Riley gasped and stopped short as Sadness fell to the ground, the soccer ball landing next to fallen blue emotion. She felt no satisfaction in the strength of her kick, only horror.

The others raced toward them, the competitive atmosphere of the game having its energy completely redirected into a different purpose: making sure that Sadness was okay.

"S-Sadness?" Riley asked nervously, stepping closer. "Are you okay?!"

The blue emotion seemed to struggle to get up, and the part of her face where the soccer ball had hit looked distinctly darker than the rest of her. Like something was wrong.

Joy and the others quickly reached Sadness, Joy racing to get her cousin's glasses as Fear helped her sit up.

Disgust recoiled as she saw Sadness's face. "Oh my GOSH, how hard did that ball _hit_ you?". She winced. "That does _not_ look good."

It looked even worse than Riley had first anticipated. Not only was Sadness's skin a darker blue where she had been hit, but there was also something else there. Something red.

Riley's eyes widened in horror. She recognized that red stuff from what Panic had said before. It was blood. Sadness was losing blood! If she got sick like that, she might not get better! And what would happen if Sadness lost too much of it?

Anger, however, turned away from Sadness to stare up at someone else. Riley. "What the HECK were ya thinking?!"

"I'm sorry!" Riley pleaded, wishing there was something she could do to help. "It was an accident!"

But the look on Fear's face hurt most. When she chanced a glance at him, he looked at her for a fleeting instant with a look of fright and hostility. He shuddered, wide-eyed, and hurried to check on Sadness as fast as he could, making sure she wasn't permanently damaged.

Riley's formerly elated mood began to sink rapidly. Sadness was hurt. Perhaps severely hurt. And it was _her_ fault. And the expression on Fear's face made it clear—he suspected that her hurting Sadness, in fact, wasn't an accident, that she had done it on purpose. She wanted to step in to help, but the way Fear especially had looked at her convinced her that wasn't the best course of action.

And while Joy was tending to Sadness, she noticed the look of horror on Riley's face as the part-emotion stepped back, looking ashamed as she wrapped her arms around herself.

"You okay, Sadness?" Joy asked.

Sadness winced, barely able to move as her glasses were returned. "My.. my whole face hurt-ow!"

Fear started trembling as he noticed that Sadness didn't seem to be moving her face as much as normal. "Oh Imagination, what if her jaw's broken?!"

"I think if that happened she wouldn't be talking, genius!" Anger snapped, though he was clearly worried as well.

"But I heard a crack! It might have a fracture!"

"And either way, it's bleeding," Delight said quickly. "Someone call the hospital—"

Fear was already on it before Disgust had even finished the sentence.

"Okay," Joy said quickly, helping to make Sadness more comfortable given her condition. "The ambulance is coming, we'll all be there with you, and maybe you'll need to get an ice pack or something, maybe bandages, but probably not surgery..."

"Surgery!" Fear cried.

Riley winced, feeling even worse. She had no idea what surgery was, but whatever it was seemed bad.

Joy tried to smile to ease her cousin. "It'll be okay, you'll see! Soon the six of us will—"

"Better not make it six."

Joy blinked, looking at Fear. "Huh?"

Shaking a little and making sure to stay close to Joy, Fear gave a quick glance in Riley's direction.

Joy took the hint, her eyes widening in shock by his mention. Her eyes narrowed a bit, fighting the urge to smack him on the shoulder.

"It was an accident!" she told him. "How were any of us suppose to know Sadness would end up hit?"

"Maybe because probably Riley was injected with some sort of strength serum?" Fear suggested, his own brows furrowing. "You saw it in her face when we started playing this game! Next thing you know she'll be going after the rest of us!"

Joy stiffened before looking in Riley's direction. The blonde merely stood there, gripping her hands together as Anger and Disgust nursed Sadness as best they could. Riley appeared as if she desperately wanted to help, but it was obvious Anger and Disgust would refuse that.

Sadness might not want that either. The injury made the part of her cheek not obscured by blood look a little like a darkened blueberry past its prime. The moans were painful to hear, and for a moment Joy thought she saw a tear slide down her cheek.

Nearly chewing her lip, she turned back to Fear who gave her a nearly bitter expression. For a moment she thought she saw some Aggravation in him. But that was impossible, not even Anger was like his own father in the best way possible.

"Joy..." Fear murmured through gritted teeth, "just look at Sadness. Don't say Riley didn't intend to do this! After all, Sadness was the one who actually lowered her guard down for her."

"That's not true..." Joy denied. "Riley was just having fun. We all were."

"Wel, Riley's idea of 'fun' is pretty much seeing us all get hurt!" he countered. "Now Sadness needs to go to the hospital where they might have to take some teeth out, she'll probably need stitches, stay a whole month in bed—"

"You're getting way over your head," Joy told him, almost harshly. "What about the time Disgust threw a baseball and you got it right in the eye?"

"For Imagination's sake, that was different!" Fear rebuffed. "Disgust wasn't trying to kill me!"

"Neither was Riley," Joy said firmly, narrowing her usually lit up blue eyes. "It was a complete accident and Sadness will be alright."

Both turned to where their blue friend lay. Disgust held onto her hand, rubbing it gently as she knelt over her. Anger made sure she was comfortable, using his hand as a pillow for her head to rest on until someone else arrived. Riley just stood there, distant from them but very much being eaten by her own guilt.

No more was the happy mood in her blue eyes. Her expression looked much paler, almost as if she was on the verge of fainting like she did on her first night. Joy hoped for none of that. She needed to know that it was an accident and Sadness was not one to hold a grudge. The blue emotion's eyes were closed and her head resting on Anger's palm.

Riley gazed over Sadness, feeling guilt prick her heart as if it were riding a cactus. She couldn't believe what she had done! She never thought she would kick that hard! She was surprised Sadness's glasses didn't break upon impact...

This was nothing like her dream! No one was considering her as she hoped, and friendship was far from her reach at this point. In fact, she was certain they all hated her. Even Fear. For the most paranoid of the bunch, that look he gave her was enough to freeze an entire lake. It scared her, and pained her deeply.

Maybe even Joy hated her. After all, Sadness was her cousin, and the blue girl's eyes were now closed, Fear's voice rising in alarm...

Was this what Aggravation had been talking about? That if she tried to reach out to others, it would be all for naught? And she would always be rejected even if she tried hard enough to interact? For that given moment she felt Aggravation must have had a point. As much as she refused to believe anything he said regarding her being, just seeing Sadness on the ground made her reconsider everything.

She gasped in fright when she heard loud wails in the distance. She turned to see some red boxy vehicle with a red cross on its side swerve toward them. She took a step back, unsure of what to make of it, part of her mind screaming at her to run away and hide. Maybe they would take her away, somewhere where she couldn't hurt anyone. Or back to an environment like her container at the lab, only some place where she would be deconstructed as if she had never existed in the first place.

Her worries were only somewhat settled when Joy spoke.

"Oh, look!" Joy exclaimed. "The ambulance is here!" She tried to give everyone a hopeful smile. "Sadness will be fine!"

But no one was convinced, their eyes glancing over at Riley who looked away. Soon paramedics exited the vehicle before stopping in front of Sadness.

"It looks like it's swelling," one said quickly before gesturing to another. "There may be a fracture in her jawbone..."

Soon two of them carefully hoisted up Sadness and placed her upon a stretcher. Her friends watched helplessly as she was aided in others' hands. Their friend hadn't moved one bit, as if the force from the ball would soon knock out her entire brain into a deep coma. At least that's what Fear believed as she was carefully hauled into the back of the vehicle.

"What happened?" one of the paramedics asked.

Anger frowned as bitter feelings rise in him. He felt flames flicker atop his scalp seeing his friend being so unconscious.

"Ask _her_ ," he growled, pointing a finger toward Riley.

The blonde's eyes widened fearfully as she was spoken about. Almost like someone accused of committing a crime. This seemed like one, given how she was responsible for all this. When the paramedic looked in her direction, she was met with the familiar odd expression of seeing someone so different. And possibly dangerous.

"I..." Riley tried to speak.

Joy rushed in to help, standing with her friend behind her. "It was a soccer mishap!" she assured the paramedic. "We were too into the game and my cousin just got hurt!"

"Well, it looks serious..."

Joy took a deep breath, looking over at Riley as Sadness was being wheeled into the ambulance. She took Riley's hands. "Riley," Joy said carefully. "I'm going to check on Sadness, okay? To make sure she's alright, just wait here..."

Riley managed a nod, only half-hearing Joy's words. Having Joy's hands leave hers as she followed after the stretcher had Riley feel like she just received an electric shock.

The paramedic raised a brow before glancing over at Riley once more. Looking at something he never seen before, that's how every person that wasn't Joy thought of the odd being with the non-colorful skin and non-particle hair.

"Well," he began unsteadily, turning to the others as Joy went with Sadness, "we better get you people with your friend."

" _Our_ friend," Anger corrected hotly. He sent a glare in Riley's direction. "She's...she's just some _thing_ my dad made for no reason."

That comment ripped through Riley's heart like a hacksaw. She felt her legs tremble, almost giving out as she hugged herself. She hated herself even more right now.

Riley hung back, wishing she could catch Joy's eye as her other friends—her proper emotion friends—loaded themselves into the backseat of the ambulance. She could see through the window that Joy was bent over, trying to comfort her injured cousin. She saw Joy wrap her arms around the blue emotion in a tight hug, the teardrop-shaped emotion's lips barely moving in her semiconscious state.

The doors to the ambulance closed, and the loud noise and lights started up again which caused Riley to cringe from the sudden volume. She watched sadly as the vehicle sped away, the vehicle looking as if it were flying in its haste.

Riley felt as if everything that kept her functioning and alive had just stopped.

Joy had left.

Joy had just gone in the ambulance and left with her friends.

She implied she'd be back. But the ambulance had sped off.

She had abandoned Riley. Probably hated her as much as the rest did and didn't dare to face her.

Riley felt as if her legs had become jelly, threatening to give out beneath her though she managed to keep herself upright. A worn-out weakness was overcoming her again. With the horrible feeling of guilt sinking into her skull, she made the decision to do the only thing she could think of: go back to Joy's home.

The only problem was, she had no idea where it was from here. The park in the center of the city was big enough, and even though she, Joy, and Delight had been around the city, parts of it were completely foreign to her.

She'd just have to guess. Recognizing at least where she and Joy had entered the park, she took a deep breath and started to walk in that direction, making sure to avoid the sight of others if possible.

What had once been so open and inviting to Riley the past few days now suddenly seemed intimidating and unwelcoming, as if all of Cerebral City had figured she had committed a terrible crime and she didn't deserve to be around them. Or that she was too dangerous.

As Riley continued to walk, she turned her wrist to glance at the armband. Her eyes widened slightly. The percentage was at 87. Not quite enough for the alarm Panic had installed to sound, but it was nearing there, and significantly lower than it had been for the past few days.

Riley swallowed, her throat feeling dry. It had never been this low when Joy was around. With Joy there, her best friend, she felt whole and complete and wanted. She even at times forgot that the armband was even on her wrist to begin with.

But after what happened, having hurt one of Joy's best friends and lost their trust—even losing Joy's trust, maybe forever—all her previous doubts were coming back. The armband's weight on her wrist seemed noticeable all over again, as if it was signifying to her that she would never be an emotion in the truest sense of the word. Never like Joy or Delight.

She tried to stay out of sight of others, but those who did see her either started whispering, moved away from her, or even ran off.

She felt just as Anger had said: a created thing who existed for no particular reason.

She glanced up at the sky as she tried to find her way, trying to avoid others so that they wouldn't talk about her or ask questions. Anger's accusation played over and over like a death knell in her mind.

Why had she been created, anyway? Aggravation wanted to keep her from experiencing the world, and what social interactions she attempted seemed to end in either ridicule or disaster.

With her steps slowing in despair, Riley's eyes became glassy. Maybe the reason Aggravation had wanted to keep her away was to prevent her from hurting others. Maybe Anger and Fear were right. She was too different. Too dangerous.

And perhaps Joy and Delight giving her a chance was just futile dreams. And look what had happened as a result.

Joy's friends hated her. Even Joy herself probably hated her. Trying to go back to Joy's house would only result in more rejection. Being considered a dangerous threat who would hurt them as soon as look at them.

Creeping into a small alleyway, Riley could feel tears sliding down her face as she sat down. She was lost but what did that matter? She doubted she could even show her face at the one place where she could have called her home. Joy and Delight must be so disappointed with her right now, even afraid of her like everyone else. They had defended her as someone completely innocent in the world who just needed a chance, and she ruined it all because she thought sports was her best new skill.

Riley doubted she could ever touch a ball again. Or anything, for that matter. She might end up hurting someone else near and dear to Joy, maybe even worse than what had happened with Sadness. She could have followed Joy into that ambulance, but given what Anger said, how the others agreed, and how Joy had left, even Sadness likely wouldn't want that. Riley felt even more awful that the blue girl was unconscious, probably going to have to get things hooked up to her while she was in her comatose slumber. And it was all Riley's fault.

The band on her arm felt even heavier, but the weight in her heart could practically sink her to the bottom of some pool of water. She watched as the numbers steadily decreased, feeling weaker by the minute as she watched the numbers go down. She may not know anything about adding and subtracting numbers, but she knew at least that some numbers were lower than others. And it just kept getting lower. Lower meant she was getting less stable. It meant that she was... what was the word? Dying?

A beeping sounded from the band. The alarm. Her stability was at 85.

Scowling in despair and self-loating, she switched the alarm off, the silence greeting her once more. She never thought she'd welcome silence so much.

So her stability was at the warning point now. What would happen to her if it went much farther below, she didn't entirely care at this point. After all, what did it matter what happened to her? Like Anger said, Aggravation made her for no reason.

And in any case, even Joy had left her. Without support from Joy, who did she have?

No one, really. Joy would probably tell her mother what happened and she'd refuse to have Riley stay in their house anymore.

Riley hung her head. Maybe she was a failed experiment that they had tried to improve the moment she woke up. But it became an official failure given she refused to think of herself as merely a creation, but so much more. Well, seemed Aggravation was right at this point. She had caused nothing but trouble to his son and his friends. Worse, she probably hurt Joy too.

Was their friendship over now? Was Riley really going to be alone up until her last moments when this band said she was getting close?

Pretty much. Her life was basically over now. There didn't seem to be much a point of going on.

Riley laid her face upon her knees, drawing them closer as the cold seeped through the alleyway. She shivered, the yellow jacket Joy had given her unable to conceal the chill. She might just freeze to death before whatever else could happen to her. Probably no one would find her for days and she might have faded by then.

She dared to move one of her hands from being wrapped around herself, looking carefully at it. It still was dulled in color compared to everything else in this world, but a little more pale, more devoid of what life she had. And she noticed, as she squinted, that her skin seemed to look a little more... well, particley. Like Joy and her friends.

And yet it was different. Her structure was a bit more fuzzy, almost looking like it was breaking apart. And maybe it was just her despair causing her to feel out of focus, but part of her almost seemed to be near-transparent.

She felt tired. So, so tired...

She only had a vague idea of what "dying" was, but she knew that it was going away from this physical-ness. Something like sleep but different, maybe like when she had first been forming in that container... She still didn't know how exactly those here on Terracordis died, or what happened after they did.

Maybe her body would disperse into particles? She would revert back to her original form when she had been progressing? Or simply just be a shell of her original self and slowly dilapidate as time went on?

Either of those seemed possible at this point. And she wouldn't care.

Sniffing, Riley sobbed quietly as she remained there for however long. Until her bracelet told her she would soon meet some sort of fate.

* * *

 **A/N: Don't worry, next chapter isn't going to be a depressing epilogue of death, I assure you.**


	14. Someone Needs Me More

**A/N: Well, I know I left you on a cliffhanger, so time to see what will happen to Riley...**

"You'll be okay, Sadness..." Joy murmured.

"I sure hope so," Anger muttered. "After what that thing did to her—"

Joy felt flames practically flicker on her own head as she whirled to face Anger. "Riley is NOT a thing! She's one of my best friends!"

"But Joy," Fear begged, "she hurt Sadness, she could hurt you! I can't have you get hurt by her!"

"Riley would never‚—agh!"

The cry had resulted from the ambulance swerving to avoid another car, and it was that breaking of the ride's smoothness that it hit Joy. The ambulance was in motion. Riley was still at the park! Riley probably thought Joy had abandoned her!

And if Riley thought that...

"Joy?" Disgust asked cautiously. "Are you okay?"

Joy felt as if she had been kicked in the stomach. Sure, her cousin was severely hurt, likely having to stay in the hospital at least a few days—but there was someone else who needed her more.

Someone who she had left behind.

Joy got quiet, her fists clenched, carefully waiting as the ambulance slowed its pace in the streets, coming to a stop. Must be a red light.

Now was her chance.

Joy leapt as fast as she could to the large doors at the back of the vehicle, starting to unlock them.

Fear was the first one to notice. "J-Joy! What are you doing?!" He started to hurry over to stop her, but was stopped in turn by Joy holding up a hand. She gazed at him with such a fiery determination that he could say nothing in response.

"You guys stay with Sadness. There's someone who needs me more."

"You can't mean Ri—"

Not looking back, even at the protests of Fear and the others, Joy unlatched the door and leapt out.

"JOY!" Fear shouted, his purple skin paling noticeably.

" **ARE YOU CRAZY?!** " Anger roared.

Disgust's jaw hung open for a moment. "If the traffic doesn't kill you—"

Joy didn't acknowledge any of their cries. She just focused on moving forward, weaving between the stopped cars even as they began to move forward, reaching the sidewalk. Her heart pounding in her chest, she zoomed toward the park without looking back, ignoring the words of her friends and angry drivers.

"Oh please forgive me, Riley..." Joy muttered, her own heart filling with worry. "Please forgive me for leaving..."

But when she did reach the park, the pounding of her heart grew louder in her ears as she realized that Riley was nowhere to be found.

"Riley? Riley, where are you?"

There was no answer, and clouds were beginning to gather overhead and obscure the sun. Joy felt more and more worried. Riley probably didn't know the way home from here. She was a newcomer to life. And it was about to thunderstorm, something she had never experienced before...

"RILEY!"

* * *

Riley felt drops of water begin to hit her body, and she glanced upward. The sky looked a lot less cheery than it had been earlier that day, and it only had her feel more nervous as the rain began to come down in buckets.

She shivered, wrapping her arms around her knees and hunching over in an effort to keep warm. She didn't like water hitting her like this. It wasn't like drinking, and it wasn't like a bath. This sky-water was making her cold and shivery and only seemed to further her weakness.

A sudden loud, booming noise from up above caused her to scream. A flash of lightning lit up the sky, and she became more and more frightened. A storm was something she had never experienced, and there was no one around to help her through it.

The thunder boomed again, lightning streaking above, and she managed to shrink back underneath an awning to hide as much as she could, though she wasn't sure what good it would do.

Maybe the jagged lightning above was coming down to strike her.

Barely able to stand, she settled for curling up against the wall as she watched the bracelet, the numbers steadily dropping.

73... 72... 71...

How long would it be until she lost the strength to even sit as she was now? Would she just end up curling up on the floor of this stupid alley, cold and alone and scared as she died?

She tightened her arms around herself, whimpering in fear, despair, and self-loathing. Why had Joy _had_ to pick the name Riley for her? Was it a cruel trick that fate decided to play on her? To make her thing she was destined to have hope and strength when really it was meant to be snatched away from her whenever it showed itself?

She didn't know. And she didn't care.

She felt herself grow weaker, her mind a bit more hazy as she shrank against the wall. She lay down, no longer having even the strength to lift her head as she felt the coldness of the wet pavement against her face. She thought she heard her name being called, far away, but she figured it was just her imagination. Just her mind playing tricks.

"... I'm sorry, Joy..."

* * *

Joy had been running the entire time, not caring that mud and dirt had coated her apple-green dress as if she had swam in a garbage chute. Her heart had been beating rapidly the entire time since she left that ambulance. And it became more painful as she kept searching.

She had never been more scared in her entire life. Usually when it came to being afraid, that was usually's Fear's job. But now she was _very_ afraid, because her best friend was lost in this city, alone, wet, and possibly on the verge of collapsing or worse. Joy never forgot about Riley's arm band, and no doubt it had decreased since the incident earlier. Panic had warned them that if it had gotten to 85, actions needed to be taken, and fast.

Riley would no doubt get sick under this weather, and that combined with her stability could mean something far worse. Joy's blue hair clung around her neck as more rain poured over her. She didn't care how cold and wet she was, what mattered was that she found Riley and took her home.

Thinking back to earlier, she should have said something when Anger stated the most inexcusable. He had some nerve to say that about Riley! And to think Joy thought he was very different from his father! Some play date this turned out to be, and she doubted her friends would ever given Riley another chance after what happened. Although she hated to leave Sadness wondering why she was missing, Riley needed her a lot more.

She dashed through the streets, the lights of the city a lot dimmer as the rain poured harder. She continued calling out Riley's name, practically screaming to the skies to give her a sign of her whereabouts. Joy grew more scared, fearing that the worst might possibly occurring any moment. She stopped in her tracks, not realizing her own tears were mixing with the raindrops as they poured over her face. She just wanted to cry right now.

Just as she was about to grab her phone to call her mother, she heard a relentless shout echo from somewhere. Eyes widening, Joy turned her head and gasped aloud when she saw some limp figure huddled against the opening of a nearby ally. Her heart exceeded beyond the regular mile as she dashed forward, praying this was her sign.

As she got closer, she screamed in both relief and fright.

"Riley!" she cried.

Said person was laying her head against the wall, her skin becoming much paler and her eyes were barely opened. Her blonde locks clung to her face, her muscles appearing unmoved as she remained as conscious as she could. Joy fell to her side and looked her over, placing her hands on her cheeks. She was ice cold.

Breathing heavily, Joy looked over Riley's band. It was at 70! That was much too low!

"Riley..." Joy whimpered, tears falling down her cheeks as she looked over her friend.

Cradling her head to look over her face, Joy felt a bit of hope when the other girl's eyes slowly opened. Although weak, she managed to peer at Joy. Riley hardly moved, her mouth slightly ajar as she looked at the yellow emotion.

"Joy..." she sighed tiredly. "You...you came for me..."

Joy forced out a chuckle, more tears falling as she held Riley's face. "Of course...You're my best friend!"

The corners of Riley's mouth formed a small and weakened smile. She tried to give a laugh, but it came out more like a rasp. She was getting more tired, possibly sick, and worst of all she was fading. If Joy didn't get her back to the lab soon...

"Thanks... Joy..." she murmured, voice trailing off.

Realizing she was wasting time just keeping Riley here, Joy knew that she needed to get a move on and bring Riley back to the lab. The yellow emotion quickly got to her feet, then bent down and picked Riley up. She felt so light and rigid in her arms, it was almost like carrying a feather. Her skin being slightly fuzzy and translucent only terrified Joy all the more.

She knew calling for her mom to give them a ride might be too late. Riley needed to get there _now_.

Joy held Riley close, pressing her to her chest as she carried her as fast as her feet could take her. Puddles splashed in her path, the rain growing heavier. But nothing stopped her as she forced her way through the cold and chill that would no doubt leave her with a cold. She darted down the street, remembering by heart the way to get to the lab.

 _Oh Imagination, please let her be okay!_

* * *

Panic squinted his eyes at the single card before carefully lowering it to the very top. For the past hour there was hardly much work to be done at the lab. Given that Delight had taken Riley to her house, all that was left for him to do was merely paperwork. He already informed the school and made an appointment for them with Riley, but that was pretty much it. Aggravation, Grief, and Contempt were somewhere else in the building right now taking care of their own work, and the technician thought he could dimly hear the leader of the project muttering something about Riley's stability readings.

And Panic? He was taking care of a deck of cards he kept in case things got boring. Right now he was near the finishing touches of his colosseum. All he had to do was put the last card that would ensure the final pillar of his tedious project. His tongue stuck out at the side of his mouth, grinning excitedly as he lowered the final piece down.

A slam that echoed through the entire lab made a gasp of alarm emit from his mouth. The impact of the noise had the entire masterpiece fall flat like a flapjack on the floor. Panic stared at it in disappointment, the last card slipping from his palm miserably. However, his disappointment was forgotten as he turned to see if it was Aggravation with another one of his rants or whatever.

His eyes bulged out in horror the moment he found two wet beings in front of him dripping on the floor, one of them in the other's arms.

"Girls!" he cried as she abandoned his cards and ran toward them.

He stopped in front of Joy, and his jaw fell in shock at the sight of Riley. She was cold, wet from head to toe, and much paler than he ever expected. Worse, her body looked fuzzy like a bad TV picture, he could almost see Joy's hands through her, and she wasn't moving!

"What happened?!" he cried before checking her arm band. "It's at 65! That's too low!"

Joy breathed heavily, having used much of her strength to rush over here. Her limbs shaking, she held out Riley to him, her eyes tearing up with remaining drops of rain on her face.

"Save her!" she begged. "Please save Riley!"

Panic did just that as he turned and hurried to get the machines and everything started. He had feared something like this would happen, but he never expected the number to be this low! He quickly flipped switches, pressed buttons, and ushered for Joy to hurry toward the container. As Joy carefully lifted Riley into her container, noticing that Riley's stability had already dropped another two points, Panic raced to Riley's side. The purple emotion hooked her to the machines and made sure she was up straight in her domain.

"Joy, stay back!"

Scrambling away from the container as it was closed and Panic pulled a final switch, the yellow emotion could only stand there as Riley's form began to suspend from the ground. Hovering in a vertical position, her body limp and airy as before, Joy could only wait for the numbers to rise.

She and Panic watched as the 63 slowly made its way to a 64. And then a 65, and so on. The color and solidity still did not return to Riley's face, meaning the process would be a little slower this time. However, judging by Panic's sigh of relief, Joy didn't have too much to worry about.

"Okay..." he breathed, "she's going to be okay!"

Joy believed him, but she couldn't help but feel guilt at her heart as she turned back to the container. Instead of a warm bed, Riley was back where she started from. Why couldn't Joy have tried to make things easier between her and the others?

A lone tear slid down her cheek as she slowly approached the container. Lifting a hand, she pressed it against the cool glass surface. Riley never lifted hers.

"I'm so sorry, Riley..." Joy murmured.

Panic looked immensely relieved. Seeing Riley like that had caused worry and terror to build up in his heart, and the fact that Joy had brought her there just in time was a blessing. He don't know what Joy or the team would have done if Riley had died.

"How did she get like this?"

Joy bit her lip, feeling guilty, but eventually recounted everything. The morning, their eager plans to train Riley for school, playing sports together, Sadness's injury... everything that would bring Panic up to speed not matter how much it hurt her.

Panic nodded as she spoke, with an air of fatherly patience, before he and Joy turned when they heard the door open. It was Delight and her eyes widened in shock the moment she saw Riley suspended in her old container.

"What happened?!" Delight practically flew over in worry and looked at the unconscious girl. Her percentage of stability was steadily rising, but her skin still remained somwhat paie.

Panic sighed, indicating Joy who had her hand still placed as close to Riley's palm as she could get. "That playdate with the others didn't go so well."

"Oh no..." Delight looked closely at the recovering part-emotion, wishing she could pull the girl into a tight hug and tell her everything would be alright.

"S-She should be fine," Panic assured her. "I hope." He glanced at Joy. "I'm very glad that you've been so willing to stay with Riley and take her in."

"I'd do anything for her," Joy replied, looking determendly at the container where Riley slept once more. And she meant it. With the twinges of guilt she felt at nearly leaving her behind and contributed in her sadness that resulted, she wanted to find a way to make it up to the girl. She's train Riley and help her to feel at home, to feel like part of their family even if everyone else thought she was some kind of freak.

Panic looked at the monitor readings. "Her stability's steadily increasing, she should be okay in a few hours."

Joy let out an immense sigh of relief. Now this was news she was happy to hear. Then she could comfort Riley, and get her some pizza, and do anything that would help restore Riley's self-esteem and desire to live.

"I'll make it up to you, Riley. I promise."

While she also hoped Sadness would be doing alright at the hospital, Riley's condition was a lot more worrisome to Joy. At least they had made it on time, and her friend would be fine soon enough. She hated to leave Riley even for a second. After what blow up earlier, she never wanted to leave her side again. Which meant even more agony when she had to go to college and Riley would be at her first day of elementary.

If this play date had not been terrifying enough, she could only imagine how scary it would be for Riley who would be all alone there. The yellow emotion tried to keep up the positivity. She and her mom promised to train Riley and give her the lessons that would make her a good 5th grade student. While there probably was no way her own friends would look at her the same way again, Joy could still hope Riley could make ones at her school.

As she watched Riley suspend in her container, she heard the doors swing open and turned. Her heart dropped the moment Aggravation made his presence known. With his same stern expression and orange hot complexion, the older emotion took one look at Riley before turning to Joy and Delight.

"And is there any reason why she's back here?" he asked in a gruff tone. "Unless she finally got some sense into her."

Joy narrowed her brows, clenching her fists as she glared at him. However, her mother intervened before she could do anything and looked at Aggravation sheepishly.

"Um, a little trouble earlier..." she said.

Aggravation was not the least bit surprised, as if he had expected Ri to be in some particular situation that might have been either her responsibility. Or Joy's. He gazed once more at the container where their experiment remained. She appeared much paler than the last time he met her.

"And did this trouble have anything to do with what your daughter did?" he asked stiffly.

"What?" Delight exclaimed. "No! It wasn't anything like that! She was just-"

Panic stepped in. "Apparently her friends, including your son, sort of gave her a hard time."

Aggravation turned to him, his ridges raising in surprise. "What's that suppose to mean?"

Joy rubbed her arms. "It was a play date gone bad, that's it..."

He scoffed. "A play date? With our kids? I can only imagine what led to this."

"It's raining," Delight pointed out. "Riley has been in the cold for a while. She might get a high temperature when she wakes up."

The red orange emotion grunted as he folded his arms. "And I'm guessing you're going to take her back to your place after this is all done?"

"Of course!" Delight insisted. "She's very special to us, and she's my daughter's best friend!"

Aggravation rolled his eyes at this. "You make it sound as if Ri is your own daughter."

Delight frowned. "Well, she very well should be! And it's _Riley_!"

"I am never referring to her as that abomination of a name your daughter gave our project," he said sternly. "And please don't tell me you're still thinking about sending her to school."

Delight stood firm before him. "We just finished shopping for supplies yesterday. We already have a meeting planned with the officials to register her."

He groaned, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "Just great! Soon she'll start wanting to have her ears pierced!"

Delight rolled her eyes before glancing back at the container. Riley's color was slowly coming back as her levels began to rise higher. Soon as this was all over, she and her daughter would bring her back home and make sure she was very warm in bed. No doubt she would have a cold or a running fever, and Riley would be worried because it would be her first. She and Joy would make sure she was fine.

On top of that, assure her that was happened earlier would not damage anything in her future to come. Especially with Joy.

Panic watched as Joy remained close to the container, practically embracing it as she awaited Riley. He felt awful for both of them. He could only wonder how exactly his son's actions and words affected both deeply, followed by the rest of his friends. Must have been so bad to result in something like this. Still, what mattered was that Riley was safe now and would be back with Joy soon enough.

* * *

 **A/N: Re3lief after last one, huh? :)**


	15. Comfort

**A/N: Don't worry, I can assure you this chapter won't be a life-threatening one after what happened before. ^^; Family bonding time!**

* * *

Hours passed, and Joy made sure to stay by Riley's container the entire time, waiting for her to wake up. She had made the mistake of leaving Riley's side before and causing the girl to think she had been abandoned and might as well die.

And Joy didn't want that to ever happen again. She wanted Riley to always know that she was loved.

Delight sadly watched the pair, feeling a pang of guilt at her heart. She loved Riley like a daughter, and for all intents and purposes would gladly adopt the girl into their family in a heartbeat.

Of course, there were blockades to that. Namely the fact that Riley wouldn't be there for long. Sooner or later, Riley would have to be sent away. Even though Joy didn't know that yet...

So until that time did come, Delight vowed to make sure Riley had as good a time as possible. With her and Joy there to help, and to a lesser extent Panic, she hoped that Riley would eventually feel like she fit in and belonged.

And maybe one day she'd have no need for that bracelet anymore.

Riley murmured quietly, causing Joy to look upward. The girl yawned slightly, blinking her eyes a few times and trying to orient herself. She was back in her container, something that was familiar to her now, and she felt a lot better.

And the best part was that Joy was there.

Joy's eyes lit up as soon as she noticed. "Riley! You're awake!"

Panic, upon hearing that, didn't waste any time. He scurried over to the control panel, pressing the buttons to unhook the wires and turn off the suspension field, causing Riley's feet to hit the container's floor with a light thud before it opened.

Joy instantly sprinted over to Riley and hugged her tightly, a gesture which Riley eagerly returned. Riley never wanted to let go of Joy, she never wanted to be left behind again.

Delight hurried over, embracing them as well before pulling back. "How are you feeling?"

"A-A lot better," Riley stammered, still a little tired but glad to be with her family again. "Thank you."

"Come on," Delight smiled gently. "Let's get you home."

Aggravation grunted nearby, causing Riley to flinch a little. But she relaxed as she realized the large emotion wasn't coming over to reprimand her or threaten to take her happier life away.

At least there was that.

"Oh, Riley, wait a minute!" Panic quickly hurried over and took her hand. "I heard your armband wasn't going off but I didn't want to disturb you." Relieved to see that it was on 100 again, he looked at the button on the side, and frowned. "It must've got turned off."

"I did that," Riley said quietly. "I was scared..."

"You don't have to be," soothed the purple emotion, offering her a sincere smile as he fixed up the armband. "Aannd there we go!"

Riley managed to smile a little again, and Joy and Delight pound themselves smiling as well. If Riley was happy, so were they.

" _Now_ ," Delight said, "we can go home."

Riley offered both mother and daughter a smile as Joy took her hand, bringing away from this dreary place. Panic waved farewell to them while Aggravation merely looked on, still disappointed as usual. Once the three exited out, it wasn't as heavy a pour as earlier, but this time Delight took out an umbrella and held it over their heads, ushering the girls back into her car before hurrying to the wheel.

Riley never felt so relieved to be back within the car of Joy and Delight. Glancing through the window of her car door, she watched as droplets landed on the glass with soft plunks every now and then. After earlier's awful events that nearly led up to her supposed death or whatever, she just wanted to go back to their home and know that she was going to be taken care of and loved.

Yet Anger's comment still plagued her. Not to mention the expression on Fear's face was still so heavily embedded into her head. All their looks and statements still hurt inside, especially since she recalled that Sadness was at the hospital at this moment.

She already knew that forging a friendship with them was out of the question, and they would avoid her even more than before. And no doubt they would demand for Joy to come back and be with them, without the inclusion of Riley as they made clear many times. Although it was the sad truth, Riley was relieve to know Joy still remained with her. She even ran out of an ambulance and through traffic just to look for her!

Joy really did love Riley after all...

The drive home was quiet and relaxing, with Delight allowing soft music to play from her radio. With traffic low and the rain decreasing, going home had been less to no difficulty. It was a short amount of time before Riley spotted the golden rooftop that signified she was back in her comfort location.

Delight hurried the girls out of her car and rushed them inside before they could get wet. Once they were in the house, she wasted no time in cooking up some soup. Riley may be alive and well, but no doubt she would ensure a cold soon; Joy was on the verge of getting one herself. Chicken and noodles steamed in a pot while Riley and Joy were in the living room, the TV on for them.

As both girls sat on the couch, Riley held her knees together, hardly listening to what was even going on in the screen, her mind replaying what happened at the park and afterwards over and over. Joy noticed this and leaned toward her friend.

"Riley," she said gently, "you know it wasn't your fault."

The blonde looked back at her, blue eyes meeting brighter ones with dissatisfaction. She knew Joy would always comfort her in the most dire of situations, but she doubted it would make a difference given the others actually hated her.

"You heard what they said..." she murmured miserably. "You heard what Anger said... made for no reason..."

Joy's eyes narrowed dangerously. "And he called you a _thing_..." Recalling the red emotion's comment made Joy's blood boil. She could not believe she had let him get away with saying that to Riley! Of course, she had been so distracted with making sure Sadness was comfortable that she hardly had time to reprimand him. He had some nerve saying that to poor Riley. She could have slapped him right on the spot, and Joy was never one to respond physically to the most sour of words.

The next time they met (if that was even going to happen again given she refused to leave Riley), she would scold them all for their lack of behavior during the matter—part of her couldn't believe that even Fear, that purple emotion who her feelings ran deep for, had treated Riley so awfully due to being afraid of her, just because she wasn't born full Terracordian as they had been. So what if Riley was part human? She'd never hurt them on purpose!

Sadness would already be waking up and wondering what happened after she passed out, but she knew that her injury was Riley's doing. But Sadness wasn't one to hold grudges, she was more accepting of the others.

If only that acceptance could have been a little further, then Riley would have a second BFF.

"What he said was wrong," Joy stated, her tone a bit firm.

"Isn't he Aggravation's son?" Riley responded.

"Yeah, that's true," Joy sighed, "but he's not all harsh-truth-and-frustration like his father. Look, he was just upset and really worried about Sadness. Sometimes he says things that aren't actually true when he's like that."

"But the way they all looked at me..." the blonde murmured. "It was as if I was like some monster!"

"You know that's not true!" Joy retorted.

Delight, having placed the soup to a boil, overheard them and poked her head out from the doorway. She looked over Riley with a concerned expression, her lips pressing together uneasily.

"Riley, sweetie," she said soothingly before joining the girls on the couch, "Joy's friends just need some time to be comfortable around you. I mean, it's just like how it took you some time to adjust to the world right now."

"And you're still adjusting," Joy pointed out. "And soon you'll be learning more."

Delight nodded. "I'm sure after Sadness comes back from the hospital, they'll understand it was all a mistake and they'll get over this."

Riley looked unconvinced. "Anger doesn't look like he will..."

Joy's mom let out a laugh that mixed with a scoff. "Oh, Anger takes a lot after his father, but he really is a sensitive one. And keep in mind he's made a ton of mistakes before."

"It's like my mom said," Joy encouraged, "your mistakes are what make you normal."

Riley's eyes lifted up at this. She never thought the word 'normal' would be used in any way to describe her after what had happened. "Really?"

Both she and her mom nodded. "I mean, even I make mistakes. But it's what you do afterwards that's important."

"Joy's right," Delight assured. "Riley, sweetheart, don't let this pull you down. I mean, think of the positive in this."

"Like what?"

"For one," Joy smiled, "at least my friends know you're a hardcore soccer player!"

Riley cheeks reddened at this, averting her gaze for a moment. Joy giggled, knowing her friend secretly felt a lot of pride for her newfound strength. She was quite this sportive one, and the yellow emotion believed that maybe it was her true calling in life. In fact, when she was a bit older she could be some famous player of a team! Riley was still 11, the possibilities involving sports were endless, and she proved to be quite good with soccer! Joy only wondered how she would fare with hockey. She and her parents loved the sport, and she hoped Riley would too.

"You see?" Joy beamed. "You know it's true!"

"Well, I guess I did show my sportsy side..." Riley said sheepishly.

Delight smiled at this, relieved they had calmed Riley down, which did well for her health and kept her arm band at 100. "And just think when you share these things at school," she gushed. "Soon you'll be making a lot of friends who are impressed by what you can do!"

The thought of school secretly made Riley nervous, but she held onto their beliefs. After all, Joy had filled her head with positive details on what 5th grade was like. To meet people her age was something she actually did look forward to. She imagined possibly hanging out with others, sharing pizza, able to have a mutual understanding of each, just like what Joy had with her own set of friends. The thought was overwhelming, and Riley found the self-esteem slowly rise over it.

"And just think!" Joy encouraged. "Maybe you'll be on some sports team! My school has a lot of them, even soccer and softball!"

Riley smiled a bit bigger. "Wow, and you think I can actually make it?"

"I know you can make it!" Joy exclaimed. "Just like I know you're going to be very popular at school!"

"But first," Delight added, "we just need to teach you a bit on the basic school stuff. And we'll do that tomorrow morning, don't worry."

"Just simple writing," Joy explained, "some math, some history, and a little bit science. Not science as in your science like what happens at the lab, more like fun science anyone can do. As for the memory orb making, well, we'll just let the teacher surprise you." she added with a wry grin.

Riley just nodded at this, feeling much better than she did earlier. The confidence came back, and she felt stronger once more.

She could do this.

* * *

The soup had been very good. Warm, steamy, and the chicken was quite chewy to her gums. Having taking a few helpings, the broth made her feel sleepy and it was close to late night. She and Joy made it to the bedroom with Riley having been given a new pair of PJs to wear for sleep.

When the lights were off and Joy's aura gave the room that lovely glow, Riley felt even more at ease since earlier. Joy smiled at her as she slipped into bed, gesturing for Riley to come in as well. The blonde slowly slid under the covers, joining her friend as they laid on the pillows.

"You comfy?" Joy asked her.

"Yeah," Riley responded. "It sort of feels cold again."

The yellow emotion smiled before wrapping an arm around the younger girl. Riley gave a relieved sigh as she laid on Joy's shoulder. The light warmed her up incredibly, and the blonde found herself unable to even part an inch from Joy.

"Comfy now?" Joy asked.

Riley nodded, rubbing her head against Joy's skin. "Thanks, Joy...for everything..."

"Aw, no biggie," the other girl responded. "What are friends for? Now come on, let's sleep. We got a big day ahead of us." She beamed lovingly. "Just the two of us."

There were the last things to see before eyes began to droop. And once more Riley slept like a dream once more.

Tomorrow would be better. She was sure.

* * *

 **A/N: So, next chapter will see what the next day brings! See you next time!**


	16. A Father-Son Chat

**A/N: A little bit of father-son bonding with Fear and his dad before we move on to the next morning! :)**

* * *

While the Astar household was content that night, Fear's wasn't quite so lucky.

Panic let out a low sigh as he double-and-triple checked the documents on Riley's stability that he made copies of for home. Riley had been doing so well the past few days, hanging out with Joy, learning what life as an emotion was like, and barely having her stability decrease to low 90s.

And then all of a sudden that happened, and she nearly died...

At first, Panic had hoped and even dared to assume that Riley would be fine, that first fainting spell and sharp stability decrease occurring when she hadn't become quite used to being awake in the world. Her time with Joy over the past few days seemed to confirm that theory. It was healthy for her to experience life as everyone in their world did.

What had changed?

Panic thought about the two severe drops, and he soon put two and two together. It turned out there was a commonality between the two situations:

Riley had faced rejection by Joy's friends.

 _Her stability decrease when she feels upset!_

Scribbling that hurriedly down in his notes, he triple-starred it to being it to immediate attention the moment morning rolled around. No wonder those had happened after Joy's friends had treated her coldly. No wonder she trembled so much when Aggravation tried to limit her life.

Riley's physical and mental stability, at least for the time being, _were ditectly dependent on her happiness_.

And who was the source of that happiness? Joy.

Panic felt increasingly uneasy at this realization, dropping his pen on the table and starting to pace, rubbing his fingers on his temples. "Riley needs Joy. Riley's health is literally dependent on her. But we're supposed to be sending Riley away eventually! And Joy can't just go to Earth with her, that would threaten everything and the humans would panic!". His hands slid down his face, now dreading the dawn. "Ohhhh, Aggravation is _not_ gonna like this!"

"Not gonna like what, Dad?"

Panic turned sharply as the door to the front of their house opened and shut behind Fear. The younger emotion glanced at his father with a quizzical look, guessing that it was something about Riley.

And Panic remembered what Joy had described to him.

With a dejected sigh, Panic gestured to the chair closest to him. "Fear," he said, "we gotta talk."

His father's calm yet serious tone made Fear nervous. The last time his father asked him for a talk like this, it was something "specific" after Fear just turned 18. Not to say his father was bad at discussing _that_ , but for someone who hasn't exactly associated much further with the opposite gender aside from the trio of girls of Team Happy—one of whom Fear had a strong but secret affection for—it all made the younger emotion very uncomfortable.

Glancing over to the chair, Fear then looked back at his father anxiously.

"This isn't anymore about when two people meet and love each other is it?" he asked.

Panic's face reddened, and he gave a wince before shaking his head. "No, no! It's something very different. Something regarding yesterday..."

 _Uh-oh..._ Fear thought, getting on edge once more.

But he joined his father anyway and the two sat across from each other. It was almost like looking at a mirror. Panic rubbed his palms together, hoping he would mess this up because it was a particularly sore subject. And the last thing he wanted was to stress his son further.

"Fear..." he began as calmly as he could, "Joy told me what happened yesterday."

The younger purple emotion swallowed, gripping the ends of his chair. He had hoped they would all put this behind him. After all, he and his friends had tried their best to delete Riley from their thoughts the moment Sadness was back to consciousness. He wasn't surprised Joy was still attached to that being. After all, she had been in and out of that lab the past five years for visits, sometimes even dragging him along! She nearly got run over by incoming traffic for Riley!

"Uh, yeah?" he gulped.

Panic sighed. "Fear, you know Riley's a very sensitive girl. She's still trying to adapt to this world. And I know you and your friends are still trying to adapt to her."

To Fear, 'adapt to' wasn't exactly the best phrase. Take 'avoid', 'oversee', and 'defend ourselves from' to count because after what happened, he was probably going to wear a helmet if Joy ever made them meet Riley again. Sadness was still in the hospital as of right now, needing stitches and having a fractured jawbone just as he had feared, and he was worried worse could happen to the others. Joy mentioned Riley was getting good at sports...he hoped she wouldn't start learning knife-throwing or something even more life-threatening!

He looked up at his father, his expression deeply pained. "Dad, if you had just seen what she did to Sadness earlier-"

"Son, that was an accident," Panic cut in gently. "I've been with Riley when she had first been brought to this world. She would never hurt anyone."

"Are you sure?" Fear asked timidly, not the least bit convinced. "Sadness is in the hospital thanks to her! And I got a long list of possibilities of what would happen if we let our guard down again."

Panic was not surprised by this, knowing his own son took after himself in many ways. Even Fear's relationship with Anger reminded him a great deal of of his with Aggravation. But he was sure Fear had some of his mother's strengths in there somewhere.

"And I have a long list..." he began deeply, "of possibilities of what would happen to Riley if she keeps getting upset."

Fear looked at him in confusion. "Dad?"

Panic sighed, taking off his glasses and rubbing his forehead. "Son, Riley had a little accident earlier after you left with your friends."

Although Fear wasn't the least bit accepting toward that girl, it didn't stop him from being curiously worried. "Accident?"

"See, after you got in the ambulance, Joy found Riley in an ally. She was dangerously below 83. And I'm pretty sure you're aware it rained earlier."

A gut feeling entered Fear as he bit his lip. He didn't expect something like that to happen. He assumed Riley would just go home and Joy would meet up with her later. Guess she was still confused with the world as his father mentioned...

"When Joy found her," Panic went on, "she was at her 60s, that's the worst percentage she could have without breaking apart completely. She was very cold and pale when Joy brought her to my lab, and I feared that she was going to die at any moment." He looked at his son carefully. "You could imagine how scared I was when I saw her. Delight came by afterward and was just as scared too. I don't want to think of how she might have reacted if she had been in that room when Joy first brought Riley there..."

Fear swallowed a lump he never knew he had in his throat. He sort of thought Riley was immortal to some degree. After all, wasn't she made from some weird stuff that was classified by his father? She might have come from sand and water and suddenly she was some strong being who managed to knock the wind out of Sadness. At least, that's what he assumed of Riley. For someone who had none of the attributes of an emotion, or any other being on their planet, she was pretty strong.

But picturing her cold and alone, completely wet as the rain continued to pour, that was a depressing image. Even Fear wouldn't want that to happen to someone as strange and scary as her. Now he was starting to feel guilty, and his friends would too if they heard this.

"Oh...Dad..." he voice trailed off. "I..."

"Son," Panic spoke tenderly, "I know you and your friends care so much about Joy. And Joy cares about everyone. She especially cares about Riley. like a sister. To Delight, like a second daughter. If you could just see Riley through my eyes, you would realize that she's a special person."

Fear couldn't say anything. If Anger had taken his place, he would bite back with saying that Riley was a dangerous and valueless thing his dad created. For no reason if Fear remembered correctly. Still, all this talk about Riley's accident made it depressing.

"I...I really don't feel comfortable around her dad," he confessed. "None of the others do."

Panic played with his glasses, biting his lip. "I know. And I won't push you. But I really would like it if you tried to get to know Riley some more."

He glanced over at the papers where he wrote down everything regarding her recent tests. He hoped to never see the number 63 again.

Feat tensed at this suggestion. The first time he saw Riley in that container, he thought it was a fetus that would grow ten feet and tear the whole city apart. True, he had given a few words to her during her process, but very little under a few seconds before he dashed out of that lab. It was a lot harder given she was now in the flesh. Worse, Joy was practically infatuated with her.

BFF, she called Riley. It almost felt like he and the others were just second rate compared to her...

Panic noticed the uncertainty on his son's face, how he felt that Joy was so infatuated with Riley she was forgetting about her old friends, her _normal_ friends...

"Listen, Fear," he said gently, placing his hand on his son's, "I know you and the others may feel like you're being neglected by Joy."

Fear nodded sadly.

"But it's because she feels protective of Riley. She's new to the world and she barely understands it, and having others view her as something to be feared or hated doesn't help."

It was rare of Panic to use a strictly authoritative tone, but he couldn't help but adopt it for the last few words. Like Delight, he loved Riley as if she were his own child, and he only wished that Fear and the others could feel the same.

"But she could turn violent!" Fear protested. "You know what she—"

"She didn't intend to do any harm.". Panic run his fingers through his hair, feeling a slight headache coming on. "She's still trying to figure out herself as well. We all are."

"But see?!" Fear started babbling, giving his dad a desperate look. "She isn't like anyone who we've known for years! She's an unstable experiment who's only been actually conscious for less than a week! We don't know if she'll try to be friendly or if she'll lash out or if she'll unleash a weird hybrid death-curse on everyone—"

Panic could see his son's point, and similar possibilities had crossed his mind on occasion before. But seeing Riley as she was now, a special, curious, and uncertain girl who wanted nothing more than to learn and be accepted, the scientist had convinced himself to put such notions out of his mind.

Riley wouldn't hurt anyone like that. She just needed time.

"Son," he sighed. "I just want you to try to give Riley a chance."

"We did! And look what happened!"

"Did Sadness blame Riley?"

Fear paused, going back over in his memory of when Sadness woke up, before responding reluctantly. "No..."

"You see?". With a gentle smile, Panic stood up from the table and walked over to his son, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Sadness may have been hurt by Riley playing a bit rough, but she realized it was an accident. And from what I heard it was trying out a pretty complex move."

Fear winced. "I recognized it from when Joy tried that trick before. I knew things were going to go wrong—I mean _really_ wrong—the moment she tried it—"

"But she _tried_. Ya gotta admit that's kind of impressive, right?"

Fear opened his mouth, then closed it again. As much as he mistrusted and feared Riley, he had to admit she was pretty good at playing sports.

Panic noticed Fear pondering this, and gave his son a light hug. "Just think it over, okay? It's 1:30am now and you should probably be getting to bed."

Fear nodded in a slow agreement, but still looked unsure. "But Riley's so... strange."

Panic closed his eyes. "Like I said, son, I'm not going to try to force you to get along," he said as he followed Fear down the hall to where their rooms were. "I just want you to try to see things from her perspective, and Joy's."

Fear wasn't sure what to say. He wanted to take his Dad's advice, but he could barely bring himself to think of it. Riley scared him.

"I will... good night," he said quickly, hurrying down the hall and shutting the door behind him.

Panic stared at the closed door in silence. He only hoped that, when Riley did start school, she'd have an easier time. Maybe she'd even make friends, and she could show off her skills.

It was the best for which he could hope.

* * *

 **A/N: Don't worry, next chapter will have a bit more coming up with Joy and Riley. :) I probably could have attached this to last chapter, but I didn't think about it until just now.^^;**


	17. Math and History

**A/N: And here we shall get a bit of bonding time with Riley and Joy, and maybe a hint of future friendship on the horizon!**

 **Disclaimer: Cartuneslover17 and I own Terracordis, but not Inside Out.**

* * *

The next day, Joy got to work on helping Riley with her next big task: preparing her for school.

Joy watched patiently as Riley focused on the equation in front of them. Seated at the dining room table, they were now onto the math portion of her learning and did as simple as they could. Before that they had conducted some basic learning. They went from a simple toddler's book right to the point Riley was given something at a higher elementary level. The vowels still needed some work, but she was improving on words.

Delight provided her with old flashcards Joy used when she was preparing for her first elementary year. It was basic additions and subtractions, and Joy decided to save multiplication and division for another time because math was a bit harder. Of course, it was hard for anyone, so she hoped Riley wouldn't push herself.

Riley was aware of Joy watching her as she furrowed her brows, tapping her fingers as she gazed at the problem for the umpteenth time. She knew some numbers were higher or lower than others, but not much beyond that.

"Okay..." Riley breathed. "Five plus four is..."

Joy nodded at this, eagerly awaiting any answer from Riley. She loved tutoring, and should Riley struggle, as her best friend she would be there to amend it. They had already studied the math portion for the last hour, and so far Riley has only made a few mistakes.

Riley swallowed. "T-ten?"

Joy smiled at her assuringly, shaking her head. "Actually, it's nine. But you were close!"

The blonde sighed as she placed a hand over the equation, almost as if it was mocking her for giving a wrong answer. Joy was not kidding when she said math was hard, but Riley couldn't even answer a simple problem correctly. A toddler could probably figure this stuff out! Joy noticed this and reached out to pat her shoulder.

"Hey, relax," she spoke, "you're doing really well."

"Yeah, but what will the school think?" Riley responded nervously. "I mean, this test will determine how I might get in, and where I'll be placed. You already mentioned about where the 'special' people go..."

"Oh, right..." Joy said sheepishly. "Still, you're kind of special is more special than they are, of course. But I'm pretty sure you'll do well in the test."

"How can I if I can't even solve something you learned before my age?" Riley asked, feeling more discouraged.

Joy gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Hey, just give it a bit more time. We still got a lot before we have to take you to the school."

"Honestly, this test is the least of my worries..." the part-emotion mumbled.

"Aww, you're still worried about your future classmates?" Joy cooed. "Come on! They'll love you!"

"Haven't you seen how people look at me?" Riley sighed.

"They just never seen anyone like you before," Joy assured her.

"And what about what your friends said about me?"

The reminder of last night boiled into Joy's head once more. She kept her inner tension to a minimum, forcing out Anger's cold words. Since abandoning the ambulance yesterday, she hardly mentioned anything to her friends. Mainly because she didn't exactly want to call them. It wasn't that she hated them for what happened or anything, especially since Sadness was a victim to a soccer ball in the face. But that didn't stop Joy from feeling upset about how they all dealt with the situation.

She honestly felt the most disappointed in Fear. He was the more sensitive one of both him and Anger. And yet, in his own subtle way, he made Riley feel all kinds of hurt. Worse, he blamed her for what happened to Sadness. Joy knew Sadness never even showered accusation on Riley, the others did. It pained the yellow emotion even more that Fear had actually sided with his beliefs that Riley was dangerous.

And so Joy didn't phone them. They could go ahead and call or text her if they wanted, but she probably would save those for another moment when Riley wasn't at her lowest. Especially since the events of last night still frightened Joy.

"Okay, let's try a new equation," she instructed before pulling out another card. "Here we go."

Riley glanced over at the card. It was a five standing above a three. There was that short line right next to the latter number. She squinted her eyes at this, counting it all in her head.

"Okay, I remember this..." she said to herself as she scanned the problem. "I know this answer!"

"Just take your time," Joy told her. "Don't push so hard, your brain is functioning alright."

Riley rubbed her forehead, trying to get the answer to arise in her thoughts. The numbers were mocking her once more, but she would not let them conquer her this time!

"Five minus three..." she began. "Five minus three is..."

Joy waited nervously, biting her lip.

Finally, Riley got it. "Five minus three is two!"

The light surrounding Joy lit up intensely. "That's it! You got it!"

"I got it!" Riley exclaimed excitedly. "I actually got it!"

"Good job!" the yellow emotion said, rubbing her arm. "See? You're doing well!"

Riley beamed, feeling very proud. Maybe she could get this math thing down after all.

"Alright, that's enough math for now!" Joy announced as she gathered the cards and stacked them to the side. "Let's study a little history for fun!"

"History?" Riley repeated.

"You know, learning about what happened in the past and stuff," the other girl responded before taking out a light textbook that appeared quite old. "Here we go. One of things mom told me to read to you."

"What's it about?" Riley asked.

Joy read the cover. "Hmm...it's called _Humanity_."

Riley arched her brow curiously. "What's humanity?"

Joy remembered how Riley was "part-human" as well as part emotion. HEr mom didn't elaborate much further, but Joy knew that it had something to do with their firm overseeing of the trips that some emotions took as Mind Guides.

But as for _why_ Riley had been created, that was something that was kept firmly under wraps, both to their children and every research article she had looked up. Whatever it was, only the members of the Council and their spouses knew it.

It must be for a very special reason, no matter what Anger said. Riley was special.

Still, she'd have to learn at least some things about Earth eventually.

Joy noticed Riley was staring at her expectantly, and she quickly focused on explaining to her friend. "Humanity is a race that lives on a world called Earth."

"What's Earth?"

Joy flipped through the book, trying to find a good page that would explain it to Riley in a way she could understand.

Suddenly, Riley put a hand on the page, stopping Joy from turning the pages. The page showned pictures of humans. They had appearances that were more or less the same structure, but there were attributes that Riley took notice of instantly.

The humans... they didn't glow. They weren't bright. There wasn't a speck of particles on their skin or hair. They weren't composed of unusual, varied shapes and forms.

They looked like _her_.

Riley drew back a bit. She looked from Joy to the book. "...They're like me.". Her band dropped a few percentage points. She glanced at her friend in disbelief. "I-Is... Is that what humans are like? I mean, what _I'm_ like?

"Wellll..." Joy paused, wanting to ease Riley into what was known about her nature. "Yes and no. You're part-human part-emotion."

Riley looked carefully at the book, a sigh escaping her. That explained why she didn't look like anyone from Terracordis, why she was like a colorless thing that stood out in a world of vibrancy. Why everyone regarded her as being so strange and scary.

It was like meeting a being from another world.

Joy quickly got up and held Riley's hand. "But just because you look like them doesn't mean you're not one of us!". She put a hand on Riley's shoulder. "You may look like them, but you're Terracordian, through and through.". She smiled. "We haven't even tested out your full potential yet, and at school you'll probably get to make a memory orb!". She beamed. "And trust me, it's impossible for humans to create memory orbs the way we can. You'll see!"

Riley gave Joy a weak smile. Giving that physically she looked basically human, she wondered if she had any of the proper emotion attributes in terms of ability. But Joy always inspired her confidence. And she felt like she belonged in this world.

Joy was right. Human-looking or not, Riley belonged here.

Riley took a deep breath, looking from the book to Joy. "So, what's Earth again? And where is it?"

Joy flipped through the book again, searching through it and giving Riley a basic version of what it said as she pointed to a diagram, comparing the placings of Earth and Terracordis. "Well, try to imagine a sort of curtain in the sky that separates two things. On the other side, there's another world that's kind of like ours, just populated by humans."

"Oh..."

And since they're more matter-based, they have more gravity."

"Gravity?"

"So everything's heavier," Joy advised helpfully.

Riley looked perplexed at the idea. "So if you tried leaping in the air there you might barely get off the ground?"

Joy grinned broadly, the aura around her growing brighter. "Exactly! Now you're getting it!"

Riley looked carefully at the picture in the book. "Has anyone ever gone there?"

"Sort of." Joy smiled softly at the inquiry. "Though humans feel and interact just like we do, sometimes we decide to offer a human extra help. So, when a person is just being born, some emotions will volunteer to transfer into their minds and act as their emotions to guide them. They're called Mind Guides... think of having a helper in your head that always tries to give advice."

Riley found the idea both comforting and a bit scary. "How long do they stay?"

"The whole human's lifespan," Joy said. "And since they become linked to the human they're in, they age slower." Her smile turned almost sad. "So it gets kind of confusing depending on how long the person lives. Someone who has a parent become a Mind Guide when they're a kid might appear to be their parent's age by the time they get back."

Riley frowned. She recalled how even though she had met both of Disgust's parents, she had never seen Joy's dad. That combined with the sad smile on Joy's face had her guess something was up. "Did your dad become a Mind Guide?"

"Huh? Oh, no, he told me he thought about it when he was around my age," Joy said, her smile becoming a bit more chipper, "but he decided not to. He's on a business trip studying the connection between human and emotion stuff." She lightly touched the book before grinning. "He should be back in a few months.". She paused, glancing at Riley. "You want to see a picture of him?"

Riley nodded eagerly.

Joy pulled out her phone, flipping through the photos until she finally came to one, showing it to Riley. "Here we are!"

Riley tilted her head to look at the picture. Joy was standing on what looked like some sort of white, solid ground, a stick in her hand. On one side of her stood Delight, and the other, a man who stood a little taller than Delight, his dark blue eyes seeming to sparkle and sporting scruffy purple hair.

So this was Joy's family...

"You all look so happy..."

"We were," Joy said. "That was when we were playing hockey together." She grinned. "Maybe the four of us can play a game together once Dad gets back!"

Riley had no idea what hockey was, but she nodded anyway. Spending time with the closest thing she had to a family was more than welcomed.

"Anger's mom and Sadness's dad are Mind Guides though," Joy added, putting her phone away. "They're on Earth now."

The happier mood faded, and Riley bit her lip. Was that a reason why Anger's reaction toward her was so hostile, despite first trying to be cordial to her upon first meeting? Because he felt bitter about his mother being on the world that had been partially used to make Riley?

Joy knew it didn't excuse his behavior at all, but remembering that caused her internal displeasure toward him to be slightly cooled down.

Riley paused, her mind a whirlwind of questions. "Has an emotion ever gone there and interacted with humans?"

Joy couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "As far as we know it can't happen. An energy-matter transfer would be really complicated and kinda beyond us thanks to their world not being like ours. That energy lack is also why everything is kind of dull-colored there."

"Like me?"

Joy gave Riley a sympathetic smile, noticing her friend looked disheartened. And Riley feeling sad was the last thing she wanted. "Riley, you're still made partially of the same stuff as we are. Your emotion nature will find a way to show itself and shine through!"

Riley looked Joy carefully in the eyes, as if searching for any sign that Joy wasn't being sincere and finding none. "You promise?"

Joy leaned over and hugged her tightly. "I promise." True, Joy didn't know exactly how much of Riley was capable of having some non-human feature—hopefully memory orbs being one aspect—but there had to be something. Her initial name acronym was Radiant Intelligence after all, and humans were far from that.

She recalled that the Council had mentioned something about an "emergency defense mechanism", but hopefully, whatever it was, there would never come a time where Riley had to unleash that.

Peeking over from another room, Delight felt a pang at her own heart. Her daughter was always there to help Riley, always there to comfort her and explain things.

But the human world filled Riley with questions. She felt like she belonged _here_ , with them, like she was meant to be a citizen of Terracordis.

It broke Delight's heart that eventually, going along with the project, Riley would have to leave. But Riley was so dependent on Joy that she almost _couldn't_.

If she left, given how fragile her emotional stability was, there was a chance that Riley might die of despair soon after.

Maybe there would be a bright side to this. Maybe somehow Riley would be able to keep contact while resuming life on Earth. After all, they couldn't just send Riley there with no guidance. There had to be some way they could keep contact with at least someone here. And Delight couldn't think of anyone better than her own daughter to help her be adjusted to life.

Joy was already doing great with that, even if she had no idea what would eventually happen to Riley...

Joy would be severely heartbroken once the inevitable truth came out about Riley's true purpose. She would do everything in her power to pull her friend out of this. But Aggravation would not have it. They had taken a long, difficult time collecting the particles from the human world in order to create Riley. It was a mission that was to either go or automatically fail.

Delight was determined to make sure that the days Riley had left with Joy would be her greatest. Which is why her deepest wishes were to be granted, like school. Having a best friend was a first wish come true, followed by simply exploring the world they lived in, now was the next step.

It would most definitely prepare her for her new life once she went to Earth.

Taking a deep breath, Delight shifted from her hiding spot and made herself present before the girls. Plastering on her usual grin, she waved to them.

"I baked cookies," she announced cheerfully. "How about taking a little break, hmm?" She turned to Riley. "I'm very proud of how you're doing, sweetheart. You'll do even better at school!"

When Riley smiled at her, Delight could feel her heart crumble a little more. She doubted Riley would be smiling for long once Aggravation dropped the bomb on both her and Joy. But for now, she was under Delight's custody, and Delight refused to allow the reality that was the mission to take over.

She watched as Joy merely dropped the book with a loud thud on the table before she and Riley hurried into the kitchen. Delight was fortunate to still have it after all these years. She had a feeling it would prove useful in the future, and it did a wonder on Riley.

Not to say Earth was bad or anything, but unlike here, so many things could happen there. And most were not exactly good. Not only that, the color would make even the brightest person depressed. While Riley was pale and possessed no actual sparkle, she shone much more than any human Delight has studied in that world. Each of them were studied through their Mind Guides, and, honestly, Delight felt that a few still needed some improvement. Riley needed direct guidance, and this is where Delight was sure her daughter could step in as long as Riley was here on Terracordis.

Because she was what made Riley happy.

Peering into the kitchen where the girls were grabbing handfuls of cookies, her flesh warmed as they kept talking and leaning toward each other. As if they've known each other forever and Riley had been born 11 years ago, rather than just days ago. They were simply inseparable.

Not for long...

* * *

Laying atop her bed with the TV on, Sadness rubbed her cheek where the ball hit her. The pain had decreased since yesterday, the stitches were working okay, her fracture had been fixed, and the blue color was slowly coming back to her face.

She hoped to _never_ experience anything like that again. Even while being part of the volleyball team, not once had she ever been hit. Well, there was a first time for everything. She was surprised she didn't start sobbing after the harsh impact.

At least her friends were there for her. Well, most of them—neither Riley nor Joy had been present when she woke up in the hospital. She felt saddened when Fear told her Riley had stayed behind for certain reasons (which was because of Anger, obviously), and Joy rushed out of the ambulance to go after her. Sadness hoped both were alright, and she hoped Riley wasn't being hard on herself for what happened.

None of them had expected what had happened. There was always something difficult about sports every once in a while, even painful. What Riley had done had been a complete accident, and Sadness never put it against her. Although Anger had a say about it...

He didn't even have to blow his top to prove how peeved and bitter he had been about the ordeal. Sadness already felt that he desired no further intentions involving Riley. In fact, Fear and Disgust were right behind him on the idea. As for Sadness, while she and Riley haven't exactly hit it off, she still thought she was alright. Not exactly at BFF level, but more like compatible acquaintances.

She heard the soft tone of her cel and glanced at her bedside. Reaching over to claim it, she swiped across the screen the moment she saw Fear's name pop up.

"What is it, Fear?" she crooned, rubbing her cheek.

At the other end was the usually jittery voice of her friend. However, this time he sounded more jittery than he usually was. It could have been two things: his caution about something random...or Joy.

"Um, has Joy call you are anyone else yet?"

Yup, she was right.

"Um, no," the blue emotion responded. "Something wrong?"

"Just wanted to see if she was ever going to call any of us back," he said timidly. "I mean, it seems like now we have to call her because of...well, you know..."

Sadness rolled her eyes. "You're still afraid of Riley?"

"I'm not afraid of her!" Fear protested.

She listened in as his voice fell a few tones lower, as if all his breath was slowly coming down in a sigh.

"I'm **terrified** ," he admitted.

"You don't still believe Riley hurt me on purpose, do you?" she asked.

"No," he spoke. "Not anymore..."

"Fear," Sadness began, "Joy is her only friend right now. You heard what she said that Riley needs others to support her. I may not exactly be her friend, but I'm willing to take a shot. But you guys..." She sighed and pinched the ridge of her nose between her glasses. "I can't imagine how she reacted if Anger said anything."

For a moment she thought she heard a deep gulp on the other end. And then heard Fear lightly playing with his fingers, a special trait of his when he was uncertain.

"I believe a lot worse than any of us can think," he breathed.

"Did you even call Joy?"

"No...because I was afraid she'd hang up on us again."

"You know she's busy."

"But too busy for her best friends?"

"Riley is a huge responsibility. It's like taking care of a puppy."

"Well, this one might not be far from housebroken..."

"Fear!" Sadness exclaimed. "That's rude!"

"I didn't mean to say it like that!" he quivered. "But she still needs some work, I guess."

"And that's why Joy is always with her," Sadness pointed out. "At least unlike most of us she's always so committed. You and Anger would give up before the job even started."

That honestly hurt. But Sadness did have a point...

"Look, my show is about to be on," she said in a tone that could have resembled Disgust's, "so it's up to you if you want to call Joy or whatever. Let me know when we can hang out with her again. And Riley." she added in a stiff tone.

Fear felt the question mark that was his hair curve at the idea. "S-sure..."

With that, Sadness hung up first, and Fear placed his phone dad as he sat on his bed. Glancing up at his dresser, there stood a few photos of him with his friends. He always stood next to Joy. And sometimes she would either hold his hand or even wrap her arms around him while the pictures were being taken.

He'd do anything to have that again. Although Riley was like an unfair trade right now...

* * *

"Think you're ready for more adding and subtracting double-digits?"

"I think so..." Riley found Joy's grin contagious, even though math was becoming both easier and more intimidating the more they worked on it, hour by hour. It was one thing having an idea of numbers that were greater or less than others, at least some below 100 thanks to her armband. But adding and subtracting one from another? How did people figure _out_ that insanity?

Joy had done it though, so the part-emotion hoped it wouldn't be that hard. And at least she was getting better.

"Good!". Joy shuffled the flashcards in her hands before pulling out one. "Let's see how you do with this!"

Riley looked at the card in front of her, with a 53 on top, 21 on the bottom, and a little dash next to the second number. She frowned a bit, drumming her fingers on the table. She knew that Joy might encourage her to take her time, but teachers wouldn't be so lenient. If she took too long, she might not even reach first grade level, and 5th would be an impossibility.

She wasn't gonna let that happen.

She focused on the numbers, remembering what Joy had taught about subtracting the individual digits. After a moment, she answered a bit nervously. "T-Thirty-two?".

"That's exactly right, you got it!" Joy was beaming, giving her friend a high five which only caused Riley's mood to improve. "Now, how about we try—"

A vibrating noise suddenly interrupted from the other side of the table. The pair glanced over at it.

"Hold on, Riley," Joy said. "Let me just...". She hurried over to retrieve her phone, and frowned when she saw the name: Fear.

Had it been a week ago, she would have eagerly picked up the phone and chatted for an hour. But after what happened, she really didn't want to talk.

But she decided she'd give him a chance.

Telling Riley that she'd continue in a couple minutes, Joy went into the side room and answered with a sigh. "Hey, Fear."

She could hear Fear yelp on the other end of the line, as if he had been surprised she answered. "J-Joy! Hey, um, I wanted to call about, you know... earlier."

A frown flickered across Joy's face.

"Dad told me what happened with... Riley.". Even seemed the name seemed to unnerve the purple emotion.

"He did?" Joy's tone was a bit cautious. Maybe Panic had at least got Fear to understand. But the way he said her name didn't give her much confidence.

"Yeah... I didn't know it was that bad—"

"She nearly died because of what happened!"

From the other room, Riley cringed.

"I know, but Dad and I were talking... and me and Sadness... and...". Fear swallowed, taking a deep, shuddering breath. "Maybe we could hang out again with you soon? AndImeanyouandRiley."

The last sentence was said in a rush, as if Fear was fighting to get the words out, but Joy heard every word.

He sounded both desperate and reluctant at the same time. Joy was not surprised. After all, it was usually he who would call at last-minute, practically begging for her to come back to them. It amazed her that he was willing to make a "sacrifice" just so they could be together again. She had to admit it was sweet that he was willing to lower his scrutiny just for her sake. And sort of Riley's.

On the other hand...

She glanced over her shoulder, wondering if Riley had heard anything. The last thing either of them wanted was to have a repeat of yesterday. It still peeved Joy about what Anger had said, and even an optimistic person like her would not let it go that easily. He had a lot to make up for if he wanted to win not only Riley's favor but Joy's again. Not that the yellow emotion hated him or anything, but she was still vividly upset with him and the others.

She gazed at the phone for a moment. She could practically hear Fear's heavy breathing on the other end, nervously awaiting an answer.

"You know what?" she finally said. "Maybe we can try this again."

There was an exhale on the other line, followed by the sound of hands being wrung with tension.

"That's...that's great," Fear murmured, trying to sound excited.

Joy help back a sigh. "But I don't know if Riley will think the same way."

She could practically hear his heart plummet to the floor at those words. But he knew as much as she did that words were usually very affective for a while, and Anger's had done a number on Riley.

"Could you at least talk to her about it?" the purple emotion asked carefully. "I mean, I know we weren't the best, but we can still try, right? And I'm sure Anger didn't mean what he said."

Joy almost wanted to scoff at this, but she held her tongue. "Okay, I'll talk to her."

"G-good..." Fear stammered, his voice on the edge. "Just let me know. After that, it's up to you and Riley what you want to do. And we'll do it."

Joy had to smile at this. Still sensitive as ever, even when he was obviously scared.

"Okay, Fear," she said softly, "see you."

"Bye, Joy..." he murmured almost breathlessly before hanging up.

Shutting off her phone, the yellow emotion hurried back to where Riley was. Much to her relief, she was busy looking over cards on the table, the history book right beside her as well. Very committed to her work, just as Joy thought.

Putting on her best smile, she slowly approached the other girl. Riley looked up, her face brightening as she held up a card.

"I think I'm getting even better at the subtraction portion!" she exclaimed excitedly. "I managed to subtract fifty-three from eighty!"

Joy nodded at this. "That's great, Riley."

The blonde's smile faded as she noticed a flicker of uncertainty in her friend's tone. "Is something wrong, Joy?"

The yellow emotion didn't think she would suspect anything. But it was now or never as Joy took a deep breath, then joined the seat beside Riley's.

"Riley," she began as casually as she could, "Fear called me."

The color about vanished from her face as Riley gawked at her. Lowering her head, she averted her gaze, feeling discomforted at the mention of any of Joy's friends.

"It's nothing bad," Joy assured her. "He's really sorry for what happened, you know."

Riley glanced at her, doubt evident in her eyes. "Are _all_ of them sorry?"

Joy realized she had forgotten to ask Fear if Anger even regretted what he said. But speaking of the red emotion sent some sort of bitterness into her thoughts. Especially since Riley seemed to be the most upset when mentioning him.

"Sort of..." Joy said uneasily. "Maybe?" She smiled sheepishly as Riley continued to look unconvinced and even more reluctant. "Look, Fear said that he and Sadness are still willing to try and bond with you."

Riley's eyes rose at the mention of the blue emotion. "Sadness? Is she alright?"

"She's doing fine," Joy promised. "And she knows it wasn't your fault."

Although a bit comforted by this, Riley still clung to her doubts. "They're all still afraid of me, I just know it."

"But they're starting to understand you," Joy encouraged. "I mean, they know what an awesome sporty girl you are. When they see what else you're good at and what you like, they'll be able to find something in common."

She reached over and placed a hand on her friend's. Riley stiffened before looking up at her.

"Please, Riley?" Joy asked softly. "I promise, I will make sure nothing bad happens. And I'll make sure Anger doesn't do anything that'll hurt you."

Riley still looked unsure, but she trusted Joy—as long as her best friend was around, she hoped things would be alright. "Maybe we could go, um, visit Sadness?"

Joy smiled at the idea. At least there was some potential bonding opportunities. Maybe there was hope after all.

"I'll call Fear and see what he thinks," she offered. She then looked over at her friend and noticed she was shifting through the flashcards, trying to figure out which one to try next. "And after that," Joy started to grin in a way that she did when she got excited, "maybe I could take you over to Epiphany Elementary."

Just as Riley had been about to pull a card out from the pile, what Joy said caused her to nearly drop the stack in shock, just barely managing to catch them before they spilled everywhere. "What?! But the test isn't for a few more days!"

Joy laughed lightly, the good-natured tone in her voice encouraging Riley a bit. "Not to take the test, just to show you around!"

"B-But the other kids—"

"Riley," Joy said, putting a glowing hand on her friend's, "Knowing from experience, kids tend to stay away from school until the school year starts. The only ones that'll be there are the teachers, and then I can show ya around so you don't get lost!"

Riley looked down a bit, thinking. She'd have to face the teachers eventually, and it would be better to know her way around the school on the first day rather than standing out further by not knowing where to go. She looked at Joy and nodded. "Okay."

"Great!" Joy exclaimed, clapping her hands. "I'll go call Fear and Sadness and let them know."

* * *

 **A/N: Well, hopefully there will be a bit of a chance for Riley to bond with Fear and Sadness! :)**


	18. Cautious Bonding

**A/N: Time for the possibility of Riley bonding with Fear and Sadness, providing all goes well! :)**

* * *

Fear and Sadness both agreed to the idea for Joy and Riley to come visit, though Fear still sounded a little nervous.

After bringing up the plan to her mother (who declared it to be a great idea and hoped their bonding experience would go well this time), Joy drove herself and Riley over to the hospital. Though Riley sat in the backseat like usual, she kept peeking over the seat as Joy worked on driving. How in the world did she keep track of all those buttons and dashboard dials?

After stopping at a shop to get some brilliant yellow flowers for Sadness (which Joy had to practically drag Riley away from after about 20 minutes since she kept wanting to smell _everything_ ), eventually they reached the hospital and went up to Sadness's room. Before opening the door, Joy looked at Riley and gave her an encouraging smile.

Riley only smiled halfway back.

"It'll be fine," Joy said, hoping that indeed her words would be true. She then opened the door and saw both Sadness and Fear there. "Hey, Sadness! How ya doing?"

"A lot better," Sadness admitted, actually smiling despite her stitches. "The doctors said I could probably go home later today."

"That's great!" Joy exclaimed as Riley hesitantly came into the room.

Fear tried very _very_ hard not to flinch. Sadness, however, didn't seem very bothered. "Hey, Riley."

Riley was relieved that at least Sadness was responding well to her. "Sadness, I'm really sorry about what happened—"

Sadness waved her hand. "Riley, it's okay. I know it was just an accident.". She smiled a little, a real, genuine, friendly smile that caused Riley's heart to surge with hope. "You know, you're pretty good at soccer. What other sports have you played?"

Part of Riley couldn't believe Sadness was asking this question. She thought she might as well ban herself from sports forever, and yet Sadness was asking like she wouldn't mind her playing sports again.

"Catch, softball, and basketball," Riley said, glad that she was feeling more comfortable.

"So you haven't tried football or hockey yet?"

"No."

"I think you'd like them. Especially hockey," Sadness advised with a sincere smile. "We've all played it before, and Joy pretty much comes from a hockey family."

Hearing that, Riley actually decided to consider the thought. Out of all of them, Sadness was giving her a calm, honest opinion that did not trample her self-esteem. She felt really happy about that, actually.

Her eyes glazed over the mark left from the impact yesterday. She could hardly see it, and Sadness was doing so much better since being brought in that ambulance. Guess Riley didn't have anything to actually worry about since coming here.

She then glanced around. "Oh, I thought Anger and Disgust would be here too..."

"They had other things to do," the blue emotion explained. "So it's just me and Fear."

Riley secretly felt relieved she didn't have to interact with the two most evenly tempered of the group. She was still emotionally raw from Anger's comment, and Disgust wasn't exactly sensitive so far. She was satisfied enough meeting just Sadness. And Fear...

Joy decided to further the conversation by adding a new subject. "Hey, you know I'm taking Riley to check out our old elementary school."

Fear's eyes rose. "Epiphany Elementary? That's where you're planning to have Riley attend?"

"Well, of course," Joy sad cheerfully, "what better place for her to go to school than the one we used to attend as kids?"

Riley nodded at this, feeling a little nervous. "I have to take a placement test to determine where I'll be put. Joy says I should be able to be placed in 5th grade, but I don't know..."

Sadness offered a delicate smile. "You'll do fine. Placement tests are easy. It's handling waking up early in the morning and going to school, continuing the routine five days a week."

"It's...it's different when you're in college," Fear mentioned, trying to enlighten the conversation. "You have any time you want, and can choose whether or not you want to."

When Riley looked at him, he actually managed not to flinch. She gave him a small, timid smile. But that was good enough. Had Anger been present, it would have been complicated for her to even look him in the eye. Fear kept his father's advice in mind, and mentally kept telling himself that this was for Joy. And also remind himself that he was a really good person.

"That's...cool," Riley murmured understandably.

Fear felt slightly intrigued by this. He actually even returned a smile!

"So, Sadness," Joy began, glancing over at the blue emotion, "how's the hospital food treating you?"

"It's fine, I guess," Sadness sighed, "Disgust still thinks it's gross and stuff, but I like it anyway."

"We brought you something to make the room a lot nicer," Joy said sweetly before motioning to Riley.

Both girls pulled out the yellow bouquet of flowers they had bought earlier. They smiled as Sadness's eyes enlarge in awe. Even Fear was quite touched by the gesture. Joy hurriedly placed them in a nearby vase on the table next to Sadness's bed. It's wonderful smell and overall appearance really did bring some beauty to the white and depressing room.

"They're great, guys," Sadness said happily. "Thanks."

Riley nodded. "So what'll you be doing once you get home?"

"The usual," the blue emotion said nonchalantly, "watch TV, eat real food, and probably do more fanfiction."

The blonde raise a brow at the last one. "Fanfiction?"

"It's like a book," Sadness explained, "except it revolves around the stuff you're a fan of, and anyone's can be an author. I miss my laptop, and I get wait to see it again when I get home."

She offered Riley another smile, one even more gentle and inviting.

"I'd be happy to show you some if you want to hang out with us."

The offer was almost too good for Riley to believe. This was the kind of stuff she never would have expected from any of the emotions. Yet here was Sadness actually asking her for a simple day of hanging out! And Joy didn't even have to say anything!

While fanfiction was yet another term for Riley to look up later on, she nodded vigorously. She felt her optimism begin to rise.

"S-sure!" she stammered, trying to contain her excitement. "I'd love to."

Sadness nodded at this, her blue eyes ever innocent and kind. "Great, maybe sometime after you start school. You already know Joy is going to college, so I wish you luck with your class."

The words exchanged between his friend and Riley was something Fear began to envy. Here Sadness was able to speak to Riley on a whole new level, while he himself was struggling to even find the right words. Even more he counted more smiles than either he, Disgust, or Anger, had even brought out of Riley! As much as he still felt nervous around her, he wanted to try and reach out again. Wanting to put yesterday behind them, he hoped maybe he would earn some sort of plus conversing with Riley.

"You think they'll put Riley with our old 5th grade homeroom teacher?" Sadness asked Joy.

Now _this_ was something Fear could add his two cents to. "Oh, yeah, I remember Bing Bong! He's, um, he's still teaching there."

"I hope so!" Joy beamed. "Bing Bong's the best! And I know he and Riley will get along well!" she added, grinning at the blonde.

"I got to believe that," Fear added, trying to include a chuckle. "He's been nominated one of the top teachers by the administration itself."

"See, Riley?" Joy assured. "School will be great for you!"

The other girl could only smile and nod at this. She still felt nervousness bubbling in her belly, but she hoped that they were right.

"So," Sadness piped up, drawing Riley's attention, "what have you been working on?"

Thinking it over a moment, Riley tried to go over everything that Joy had taught her. "Science, reading, math..."

Fear winced a little at the last one. "I-I never liked math," he admitted, trying to at least spark up a conversation without flinching. "I mean, i did well in it, but long division was a pain. I remember once on a test I—"

"What's long division?" Riley asked in confusion before Fear could finish his sentence. "I only know addition and subtraction so far. Is there a short division?" She tilted her head, her expression turning a bit unnerved. "Is there a long and short addition and subtraction?"

Sadness sat up a little. "Do you need help?"

Riley looked up at her, admittedly surprised at the offer. "You'd _help_?"

Joy's face literally lit up. "That's a great idea, cousin!" She practically squealed as she turned to Riley. "Sadness is a whiz at math, she'd be a great tutor!"

"Well..."

Joy understood her friend's hesitance: Sadness wasn't Joy, and Riley only really felt comfortable with working with her yellow emotion friend. But working with Sadness would be a start at a new potential friendship. "Sadness is better at math than I am, she could help with the tough stuff when you get there!"

Riley, anxious as she was about the idea, offered Sadness a smile of gratitude.

"Oh, Fear!" Joy exclaimed, a further idea coming to her. "You did great with history, right?"

Fear paled. "W-What?!" He looked rapidly at the two. Him? Teaching _Riley_?! What was Joy _thinking_?!

Still, seeing the hopeful look on Joy's face caused him to cave. If it were anyone else, he might have refused. Or tried to talk them out of bringing them into it, maybe use some sort of stalling tactic.

But he'd do it for Joy. And to try to make up for what happened earlier.

Fear was hesitant on speaking up, but he blurted out his words before his courage failed him. "W-Well I guess maybe, um, I could someday help with h-history...". He cringed, as if expecting Riley to strike him for the idea.

Riley was baffled. Even _Fear_ was agreeing? Joy and his dad must have really talked him into being nice. She smiled and nodded a little. "I'd like that.."

"Great!". Joy pulled Riley and Fear close and danced over to Sadness, hugging all of them. "Group hug!"

Fear shuddered at suddenly being so close to Riley. But Joy was hugging her, and so was Sadness. Preparing himself for disaster, he hugged her too.

He shut his eyes, waiting for the inevitable sensation of his flesh burning from her touch, or her nails becoming claws and digging into him, or lasers being shot from her body and disintegrating him on the spot...

But after several tense moments of nothing catastrophic happening, he opened his eyes again.

Riley didn't seem hostile at all. She seemed mostly calm, stunned but happy, and though she stayed closest to Joy, she welcomed the embrace of the others.

Fear blinked. He stared in disbelief.

... Maybe Riley wasn't actually going to kill him after all.

Once the hug was over and Riley stood a small distance away from him, a smile actually crept on on Fear's lips. Maybe this was really going to be the start of something.

True, he still thought Riley was strange. But maybe if he held the positive energy Joy always had, he could overlook that in due time. Especially since now he was going to be one of her tutors. It seemed like a good enough first actual step. He only wondered how Anger and Disgust would react.

"So after you get out of the hospital you'll come over to my place?" Joy asked. "Mom baked cookies!"

Sadness chuckled. "Sure. Right Fear" She glanced in the other's direction.

He gave a silent nod, wringing his hands a little. He managed to look Riley in the eye while doing so.

"S-sure."

Riley was still blown away that these two were actually agreeing with helping her out. The first time they met, it had been little progress, save for Sadness having been able to open up to her the most out of the four of them. Now Fear, the one who was afraid of her the most, was willing to teach her history. That was a huge step, and it bot excited and terrified her.

But if Joy was right, then it was a good deal. Maybe there was hope for something bigger between them. Of course, she had serious doubts with Disgust and Anger, especially the latter. She doubt he could teach her anything...unless losing one's temper was a vital subject in school. But she was thankful for what she already had at this moment.

Joy beamed, thankful for how things have turned out. Fear was especially being sweet about this, and she felt she owed him one for being so brave and heartfelt. She was so happy she could just kiss him!

But she doubted he would want that as a reward. True, it was one of the things she had fantasized about herself for a good long while, but the poor anxious nerve might freak out. Not to mention Riley was in the room right now.

Maybe a burger meal or getting to choose the next movie would be better.

"Well, Riley and I need to get going," she announced, wrapping an arm around the young girl.

"Really?" Fear asked, his heat deflating at the news of Joy's impending departure.

"Yeah, I want to us to check out the school before it gets late," she explained. "And they only allow public access at certain hours, so we better hurry."

"It's fine," Sadness brushed it aside. "You and Riley have a good time. We'll see you as soon as I'm out of here, okay?" She smiled at Riley. "Hope you'll like your future school, Riley."

The blonde gave her a tender smile, her heart lifting even more. "I will."

Joy bid goodbye to them as she and Riley began to head toward the door. Riley turned to look over Fear.

"Bye, Fear," she said to him, anxiety being pushed away in her tone.

This surprised him, but he returned the best smile he could make.

"Y-yeah," he stammered, "b-bye..."

As the two left, he turned to Sadness. She gave him a sly smile.

"What?" he asked.

"You didn't wet your pants," she observed. "You're getting more used to her than I had hoped."

He frowned. "I do not wet my pants!"

"What about that time we went camping and you thought there was a bear going near our tent?"

Fear blushed at this, gripping his sweater. "How was I supposed to know park rangers would look that hairy?"

Sadness rolled her eyes. "You were lucky Joy always packed extra clothes."

"Oh, like I was proud to even wear girl's underwear!" he retorted, his face red at the memory. "Anger would not let me live it down for a week!"

"Still," she concluded, "you didn't freak out as much as last time. They're actually might be a chance for you and Riley. And then Joy won't be upset with you anymore."

"I would never make Joy upset!"

"Exactly," she said, "which is why you better do a _great_ job teaching Riley."

Her tone darkened when she said that, and for a moment he thought he was being threatened. But Sadness's mellow and calm nature was like that sometimes. And she was usually right about these sort of things. Although he had just forgotten about the camping incident until she brought it up...

* * *

Riding in Joy's car, Riley peered out the window as the city went by. Soon they were driving through a complete different area they hadn't visited before. And soon enough she spotted what appeared to be the entrance of the school Joy was talking about.

"There it is is!" Joy exclaimed brightly. "Epiphany Elementary!"

Riley's eyes widened. The building reminded her a little of Joy's house, but much more elaborate. The building was structured almost like a star, the horizontal points on either side overhanging like balconies. The point at the top, rather than being a direct point like the others, was spherical, as if it were like a dome.

"What's that on the top?" she asked, pointing but squinting in the sun's light.

Joy glanced up and shot her friend a wide grin as she turned into the parking lot. "That's the observatory!". She practically squeed. "3rd grade is where you first get to go, and seeing the stars and planets at night is just about the most amazing thing in the world!"

She noticed the look on Riley's face. "Oh don't worry, 4th and 5th graders get to go too! Just kind of an intro, ya know! But I can show that to ya soon, come on!". She got out of the car and waited for Riley to exit as well. "There's so much I have to show you!"

* * *

 **A/N: Yay, friendship progress! And next chapter we'll see Riley's future school, and the return of a familiar character from the IO-verse!**


	19. Meeting Bing Bong

Joy introduced Riley to all of the classrooms, one by one. Riley found herself immediately jealous of the kindergarten rooms—the floor was literally bouncy like a trampoline. She tested it out in one of the rooms herself, loving it instantly and wishing that every room could be that fun.

"Don't worry," Joy assured her, "every grade has its fun things!"

Sure enough, each of the rooms for the different grades, more numerous as the classes got more varied, had something special to them. 1st grade got books that had the words literally leap off the pages, 2nd grade had sparklers that formed words for the board when it was waved around, 3rd had teleportation pads to go from one room to the next, 4th grade possessed desks that had their own adjustable gravitation fields, and the 5th grade rooms had spheres with moving images lining the shelves, which Joy pointed out as being memory orbs.

Finally stopping at one of the fifth grade rooms, Joy peeked her head in and grinned, this one actually having an occupant. "Hey, Mr. Bing Bong!"

The shuffling of papers was heard as the occupant of the room lifted his head up, and Riley heard a joyful laugh.

"Hey, Joy, how's my favorite chatterbox?"

"Great! It's so good to see you!"

Riley could hear laughing and Joy hugging her old teacher. The part-emotion smiled softly. She recalled how she had referred to Joy mentally as Chatterbox before she had even opened her eyes—it seemed others shared that sentiment.

Taking a deep breeath, Riley hesitantly poked her head in, expecting to see another emotion, or at least someone similar-looking to Joy and her friends. But Bing Bong, it turned out, was a large pink creature with a long nose, a colorful striped tail, and a multicolored flower pin on his brown jacket.

"It's been 7 years since you sat in that seat up front, and I still remember the first thing you said was—"

"When do we get the free cookies?" Joy and Bing Bong both said at the same time, looking at each other with a laugh.

"So what brings you here, Joy?"

"Oh, my friend Riley's gonna enroll here!" Joy grinned.

"Riley?". Bing Bong arched his brow. "Is she new in town?"

"You could say that...". Riley ducked her head away just as Joy looked back at her. "Come on in, Riley!"

Riley suddenly felt shy—more than shy, more like anxious. Both Joy and Delight had assured her that Bing Bong was incredibly nice and wouldn't judge her for what she was. But what if he felt uneasy around her like everyone else did? She stayed hidden behind the doorframe.

"Riley, he'll like you, I promise!"

Only one way to find out...

Steeling herself for possible rejection and a look of fear, Riley stepped fully into the room, preparing herself to see Bing Bong flinch or look uneasy. But instead, he smiled in a way that reminded Riley of Delight.

"So you're Riley!". Without any hesitation he stepped forward and shook her hand. A gesture that Riley welcomed but felt incredibly stunned by.

He didn't flinch? He didn't gape at her? He didn't scream? He just... _accepted_ her?

It was a new feeling. And a wonderful feeling.

He paused. "Wait a minute, you..."

Joy stepped forward. "Hey, remember the project my mom was doing in the lab that I told you about?"

"Oh sure, I remember, you'd visit R.I. every week, how's she—" Bing Bong then stopped, looking from Joy to Riley. The latter managed a small smile. "Wait a minute, you're..."

"Yup!" Joy grinned.

Bing Bong shook his head, his grin only widening. "Well, I was beginning to wonder if you were ever gonna wake up! So, you're called Riley now, nice name!"

Riley felt her cheeks actually heat up at the compliment.

"So, are you gonna be joining my class?" Bing Bong asked.

"I... I hope so," Riley said. "I haven't taken the Placement Test yet."

Bing Bong put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure you're gonna do fine, kiddo! Just pace yourself and focus on what ya know!". He smiled warmly. "I'm sure you'll be sitting in here with everyone else before ya know it!"

Riley could only stare up at him, completely bewildered that none of the things she had expected had actually happened. And he even _touched_ her! Hardly anyone else even wanted to poke her with a ten-foot pole unless Joy brought them into a "group hug" or whatever!

Maybe there was hope for a good social life in this place called school!

She felt her cheeks warm up, smiling sheepishly at Joy's former teacher.

"A-alright," she spoke in an almost jittery tone.

"That's the spirit!" Bing Bong said cheerfully. He turned to Joy. "I'll look forward to having her in my class if they place her there."

"That's what we're counting on!" the yellow emotion agreed. "I'm tutoring Riley to prepare for the test. The others are going to join in too."

The larger individual chuckled. "Anger and Disgust tutoring? And I thought I've seen everything."

Joy laughed. "Well, right now Fear and Sadness have stepped up. Anger and Disgust, well..." She played with her fingers, not wanting to admit that the latter two still didn't like Riley. "They're thinking of what to teach her."

"If I remember correctly," Bing Bong mused, "it was that Anger needed to be tutored in science back when I had him in my class." He grinned. "Remember that story I told you about the first time my class got to make their very first memory orbs?"

Joy smiled. "And you said Anger almost threw his across the classroom."

"You know, if I had been Ms. Stitch," he sighed, "I would have _not_ let that slide."

"You were patient with him," Joy added. "And you knew it was going to be difficult the first time."

She glanced over at Riley. She had merely stood there, still stunned over the positive interaction so far.

"He got to lessen his temper enough to pull through the work," Bing Bong concluded happily. "After the third attempt, of course."

"No one's perfect," Joy laughed. "At least now he can succeed in work like his father does."

"Oh, yeah, Aggravation," the pink creature recalled glancing at Riley, "speaking of, he treating you okay? You don't have to stay at the lab anymore, do ya?"

Riley's mood began to deflate a little, and she lowered her head at the mention of the lab. She wondered just how many were aware of the so-called "mysterious project" people like Joy's mom had been working on? Did only Bing Bong know the details thanks to his association with Joy, or did everyone know? True, she had no idea what her actual purpose was (Anger's comment still being raw), but it couldn't be that bad to associate with someone who had started out as a mere object, right?

Joy noticed Riley's solemn look, quickly trying to come to her rescue and lift her spirits. "Aggravation was a bit of a hothead, but it's okay. Riley's staying at my house now!"

"Really? How's that working out?"

"Honestly," Joy looked over at Riley, "...it's awesome. It's like having a sister!"

Stunned by her words, Riley returned a little smile. Joy grinned before glanced back at her former teacher.

"Heard you're getting ready for college," Bing Bon stated. "You excited?"

"You bet!" Joy said happily. "Mom got my books and everything! I can't wait to start classes!"

"Any idea what you're major will be?" he asked.

"Well, I might become just like my mom," she answered thoughtfully, "but right now I'm going for Undeclared."

"That's fine," he assured, "no need to rush. GEs are the most significant ones you have to finish first, alright?"

"Got that right, Mr. Bing Bong!" Joy chirped, giving him a cheerful salute.

Bing Bong turned to Riley, his eyes affectionate, even his own trunk formed a grin at the end. "It's too early to talk college stuff with you, of course. Just enjoy the education you'll get right now, and soon you'll be making choices for further learning just like Joy did here. Heck, maybe you might even go to the same campus she's going to."

The secretly semi-emotion nodded at this, drinking in the ongoing attention he was lavishing her with. The feeling was simply incredible, and here she thought no stranger was ever going to give her the time of day. Mr. Bing Bong was giving her everything and more.

"I'll think on it," she admitted quietly.

"Well, don't think too hard on it!" he chuckled. "I mean, you're only...eleven, right?"

Riley nodded stiffly, nearly forgetting she was about seven years younger than Joy since they were about the same height.

"Yeah, way too young for you to start thinking about this stuff," Bing Bong smiled before turning back to Joy. "Anyway, I need to get to the office to inquire about those memory orb supplies I made. I'll see you another time, alright?"

"Sure thing," Joy replied.

He nodded before turning back Riley. "And as for you, an early welcome into our school, Ms. Riley! Good luck on your placement, hope to see you in my class!"

Riley felt her heart race, feeling almost euphoric that this had gone so much better than she dared to hope. She smiled wider, nodding to him.

"Alright, ladies," he said before heading off, "see you around!"

Joy waved like a leaf in the wind toward him, Riley's more slow and delicate. The latter's eyes remained widened as she watched him go. Soon they headed out of the classroom and toward the entrance of the school.

"Wasn't that a great tour?" Joy gushed. "And wasn't Mr. Bing Bong awesome?"

Riley's thoughts loomed over the pink creature himself. "He...he actually talked to me. Me! That's never happened before!"

"I told you he'd like you!" Joy laughed. "He's very accepting. Like me!" she mentioned as she pointed to herself. "I sure hope you'll get into his class. He's just amazing!"

"He really is," Riley sighed, almost in a dream-like state. "He's so nice..."

"That's why everyone loves him," Joy giggled. "Even Anger does."

Riley glanced at her. "Is it really true that he had a hard time making a memory orb?"

"Well, that's Anger for you," Joy sighed, shaking her head. "He has strength, but he lacks some patience. Often stubborn too. But we love him anyway!"

"Is memory making really that hard?" Riley asked, having a lingering doubt that she'd be able to do it.

"It can be at first," Joy replied. "But that's why we have teachers like Mr. Bing Bong helping us! And those memory orbs become a very important deal in our lives, especially for those who choose to be Mind Guides or Memory Archivists when they're older."

"Do you plan to be one?" Riley asked curiously.

"Hmm..." Joy pondered. "Haven't really thought about it. But then again both of those sound like fun. Although traveling like my dad is fun too." "She beamed. Maybe I could travel with my dad and train to be a Memory Archivist too. Then I'd actually get to stay on Terracordis."

"Could I travel with you?" Riley asked eagerly before she could stop herself.

Joy smiled and took her hand. "Of course! You're learning more every day, and Fear and Sadness are trying to open up to ya a bit so you're getting better at social interaction! I bet that if I decide to become a traveling scientist, we could travel through Terracordis together and see everywhere!". Her eyes sparkled as she spoke. "Now if I became a Guide, that'd be harder..."

Riley frowned, realizing what Joy meant. She remembered how Guides for humans didn't age until they returned to Terracordis. Riley didn't know how long humans lived, but if the human Joy would be a Guide for ended up living for decades, Riley could be older than Aggravation was now by the time Joy returned!

The thought wasn't exactly comforting.

Joy took notice of this instantly, gently tilting Riley's chin up so their eyes met. "Hey, don't worry. I know you're still getting used to the world, and you and I are BFFs!". She gently placed her glowing palm against Riley's pale one. "I'm not gonna leave you, okay? I promise."

Riley hugged Joy gratefully, a gesture which her best friend gladly reciprocated. She loved the yellow emotion more than anyone, and how much Joy had taught her, how much Joy comforted her when she was at her lowest.

She'd gladly follow Joy just about anywhere.

Joy put her arm around Riley and stretched her other arm in a wide arc. "Just think of it, Riley! We could travel to other cities, oceans, mountains, the snow on some of them is so amazing—"

Before Riley could ask what snow was, Joy suddenly let out an eager squeak and grinned at Riley, hurrying her toward the car, "That reminds me! I gotta take you over to see the ice rink!"

"Ice rink?". Riley asked as she got in the backseat and put her seatbelt on. More new words again.

Joy nodded vigorously. "You'll see, there's two things that you can try there, and one of them's another sport!". She turned to Riley. "It's a bit tough, but with your power I'm sure you'll do great! If your arms are as skilled at whacking stuff as your legs are, I think you'll ace it once you get your balance!"

Riley winced a little at the memory of what happened at the park, but felt better in that Sadness didn't blame her at all. Right now, Joy's words intrigued her. "What is it?"

"Ice hockey!"

* * *

 **A/N: Next chapter you can look forward to a bit of bonding between Joy and Riley as they try out what could be Riley's new forte. :) See you next chapter and remember to review!**


	20. The Ice Is Your Friend

**A/N: Hello again, everyone! Expect a bit of hockey-practice sweetness this chapter!**

 **Also, Ms. Stitch isn't from Lilo and Stitch, though I do love that movie—just happens to have a similar name. I don't think Stitch would be the best teacher, haha. :)**

* * *

Riley blinked. Hockey? On ice? She remembered that it involved a stick and a small panel of some sort on the floor, and that Joy and her parents were all skilled at the sport. She knew the idea of the game was to hit the panel right into the opposing team's goal, like soccer. But doing it on ice? The thought of it made her nervous. She didn't even know how to swim yet—heck, she only knew what swimming was when Joy had mentioned it at their first time at the park!

Joy noticed Riley's expression of uncertainty and rubbed her hand over hers. "Don't worry, I'll teach you the basics. It's as easy as riding a bike!"

Riley just stared at her. Joy mentally smacked herself in the forehead.

"Oh, right..." she muttered sheepishly. "You didn't learn that yet either...But still, it'll be fun!"

"But walking on ice?" Riley asked in disbelief.

"It's a little complicated at first," Joy agreed, "but it's a great experience. I used to teach Fear how to handle it when we were younger!"

"Fear does ice hockey?"

"No, more like figure skating," Joy corrected. "I'm the hockey expert. Although he gets to wear the nicer outfits, apparently."

Riley giggled at this, never imagining him in anything more than his knitted sweaters and bowties. The thought of running her feet over her ice really did sound interesting, and Joy seemed really eager to teach her.

"Okay, I'm up for it," she finally said.

"Great!" Joy said happily as she started the car. "Let's get there while it's still early!"

Soon they were backing out of the school parking lot and on the street once more. Riley peered toward her future school, the image of Bing Bong forever embedded into her mind. She felt more confident about her placement exam now.

During the drive, Joy yammered on and on about how she and her friends would hang out at the rink sometimes. She talked about the first steps she taught Fear, involving having to hold his hand throughout the process. It took about a month or so before he finally managed on his own, and soon enough he was skating like a pro. She added that he did enjoy hockey, but Joy was the expert, making a shot almost every time.

She mentioned how sometimes it was girls against boys, with Disgust having to become referee just to keep it even. It was a lot like soccer, and sometimes Fear was able to out-maneuver her and Sadness. These stories intrigued Riley even more, fueling her desires to give the sport a shot herself.

It was some time before they reached a wide stadium that exceeded about a dozen feet of windows. It was glossy black on the outside, which was able to give off their reflections like mirrors. And atop the roof functioned some sort of machine that worked like a breathing apparatus into the building. Frost and other white stuff coated itself over it, which Joy explained was ice, and that it was making the entire building cold along with its rink.

The girls exited out of her car before heading toward the entrance. Fortunately for Riley, there were no other people around to notice her. However, once they entered through the doors, a few workers glanced in their direction. Riley kept her head low, eyes concealed by her locks of blonde hair as she and Joy made it to another doorway.

She immediately clung her arms around herself, shivering at the sudden drop of temperature. It almost felt like yesterday when she had been caught in the rain and nearly died of hypothermia (which Panic explained the moment she woke up in the lab). But this was a different kind of chill. It was affective, but not in the way that made her worry it could kill her.

Once they came into the main section of the building, her eyes rose as she drank in the crystal clear "pool" that occupied the entire area. It was incredibly white, it sparkled, and it looked completely flawless save for some scuff marks, indicating it had been used recently. Stadium chairs surrounded the rink, which was protected by walls with glass to ensure proper concealment.

She exhaled, and white smoke seeped out of her mouth. Her eyes widened as it faded away. She turned to Joy who looked as if she was about to burst with excitement.

"Isn't it awesome?" she squealed.

"Yeah," Riley responded, "it looks pretty cool."

"Alright, let me just grab some skates," Joy aid before hurrying off.

Soon she returned back with note just two pairs, but also a couple of wooden sticks and a black circle in her  
palm. She gestured Riley to reach the edge of the rink before seating her at some nearby chairs. Riley watched in fascination as Joy removed her shoes, carefully slipping on the skates. They felt thick and rather heavy, but Riley was able to move them even with her delicate strength. Joy, of course, was always barefoot, so it was almost as if her skates were light on her own feet.

"Alright, let's get you on the ice!" she instructed.

Riley's eyes widened before turning to the rink. It looked so beautiful but intimidating. She reached for Joy's outstretched hand and gripped it. She found herself wobbling a bit as they neared the ice. She watched as Joy slid onto it with ease, able to stand perfectly while Riley's other hand gripped the edge of the wall.

"It's okay, Riley," Joy said gently, "just take little steps. Put one foot first."

Riley did just that as she lifted a heavy leg toward the ice. Placing it as carefully as she could, she gasped aloud when it nearly slid right off her body. She did not expect that, the rink being so slippery. Joy gripped her arm as she aided her weight.

"Easy...easy..."

Riley bit her lip, holding onto Joy as she allowed the emotion to pull her further into the rink. Her knees felt shaky, and the ice beneath her was like walking on paper. She never let go of her friend as Joy carefully hauled her further into the ice.

Finally, they were within some good distance. She still clung to Riley as she dragged the sticks and puck to their sides. The blonde allowed her to release one of her hands, and Riley found herself forming a triangle with her legs. Joy mentioned how the first time Fear made a split; Riley did not want to know what that was like.

"See?" Joy encouraged. "It's not that bad!"

"It's so hard!" Riley exclaimed, gripping the yellow emotion's hands tighter and fighting the urge to hug her tightly, fearing they'd both fall if she tried.

"Just hold on, let the ice guide you."

Riley gasped once more when Joy tugged on her. When she found herself moving, it was almost so frightening that Riley could have started crying. But she held her tears back as she slid a bit more, keeping her legs perfectly straightened as Joy moved her about.

"See?" Joy said gently. "The ice is your friend!"

 _The ice is your friend._

Joy's words echoed in Riley's head as she focused on holding tightly onto her friend. At the moment she wasn't sure how friendly the ice seemed. She felt a bit threatened, like her feet would give out any second.

"Just focus on standing..."

Riley nodded, trying to keep herself steady.

Joy pulled Riley along like that for a while before instructing her to try moving her legs.

"Just put one foot in front of the other," Joy encouraged. "Like walking! But don't lift your feet, just glide!"

Taking a deep breath, Riley did as Joy instructed, a bit tearfully. But though her steps were slow at first, with Joy's guidance the pair were soon skating along at the speed of a leisurely walk.

Noticing after several minutes that Riley was getting more confident, Joy looked at her and gave her hands a squeeze. "Riley, I'm gonna let go of you now, okay?"

"What?!". Riley nearly stumbled, her legs wobbling. "Why?!"

"Just to see how you do! Don't worry, if you fall I'll be right here to catch you, okay?"

Riley held on tighter, wide-eyed and scared. If she let go of Joy she'd fall for sure!

"Riley?"

"Y-Yeah?"

"Do you trust me?"

Riley swallowed, looking Joy straight in the eyes. "Yeah."

"Okay, now careful, easy... relax, Riley..."

Slowly so as not to startle the girl, Joy let go of Riley's hands. For an instant, Rilry nearly stumbled, the lack of support a bit frightening. But she focused on keeping her legs mobile.

Left. Right. Left.

Joy stayed in front of her the whole time, her glow reflecting on the icy surface. "See? Not so hard!"

Riley dared herself not to look down, feeling a smile creep up on her face. She was skating. She was actually skating without holding onto her friend for support.

It was terrifying. And yet somehow exhilerating.

Joy was positively beaming at her friend's progress. "You're doing great, Riley! You'll be shooting pucks across the ice before you know it!"

Riley steadied herself before looking over at Joy. Her friend beamed at her happily, and Riley managed to return a smile.

"Alright, let's just practice some skating right now," the yellow emotion suggested. "This was exactly how Fear started out before I taught him hockey. Next thing we should work on is speed."

Riley gulped. "Speed? As in going fast?"

"You'll be fine," Joy assured her. "Remember, one foot first, slide, then the other, repeat."

Not a difficult phrase to forget as Riley watched her display on the ice. It marveled Riley how graceful Joy was being, practically flying around the rink as she showed her the first steps. With those delicate yet fast feet, she managed a twirl, her yellow dress fluttering like a marigold in the air. Riley gawked in amazement, feeling the skates grow heavier on her feet. How could she ever do anything like that?

Joy skidded to a halt, grinning at her. "But no pressure! This took practice, just like you'll be doing so we can make you more familiar with the ice."

"Like how you taught Fear?" Riley asked.

"Just like him," Joy nodded before extending her hand. "Just hold on, and I'll show you."

Riley obeyed before linking herself to her. Joy carefully tugged the other girl forward, gliding backward while Riley automatically followed. The younger girl kept her gasps of panic to a minimum, reminding herself to keep steady as the ice beneath scraped against her skates. Joy hauled her at a steady rate, careful not to go fast until Riley was truly ready.

She managed to circle her around the rink, taking the time to help her friend adjust. Riley struggled, but was coping well as she held tightly onto Joy. Her knees wobbled every now and then, but she was just starting to get the hang of it.

"Okay," Joy began carefully, "can I let go of you now?"

Riley almost wanted to protest this suggestion. However, after some thought, and she looked down at her feet, she nodded.

Joy's lips pressed together a she slowly released Riley from her grasp. Moving ahead to give her more room, she watched as Riley's knees wobbled a bit, but managed to push herself. She took slow paces at first, but then dared to go a bit faster. She nearly stumbled that one attempt, but she managed to catch herself. Joy began to notice some more confidence in her eyes.

"Hey!" Riley exclaimed, hobbling a bit but able to glide at a certain angle. Her hands held out to create more balance, her weight shifting left and right. "I'm...I'm actually doing it!"

"That's it, Riley!" Joy cheered. "You're doing great!"

Determination bubbled in Riley's belly as she kept going. Joy cheered, almost bouncing her skates on the ice as Riley sped a little. The blonde actually laughed, feeling as if she was flying. Placing her feet firmly upon the ice, she scraped over the surface, throwing shredded ice in all directions as she moved.

"I'm doing it!" she cried. "I'm actually doing it!"

"That's great, Riley!" Joy said. "You're really getting your speed!"

However, as she observed, she noticed that Riley was moving a lot swifter than she thought.

"Okay, you're going a little more than you should..." she said uneasily.

Riley steadied, having not heard her as she pushed harder on the ice.

"Riley, careful, you're going too fast!"

The blonde looked toward her before realizing that all was nearly a blur. She yelped before flailing her arms about, unable to put her skates to a stop. Joy hadn't taught her that yet.

"Help!" she cried, swerving around the rink.

Joy thought quickly, knowing that Riley would crash if she didn't help. She skated closer, calling out. "Bend your knees like you're gonna sit down!"

Riley's heart was pounding, but she tried to steady herself and bend her knees slightly. She could feel herself starting to slow down, but not by much.

"Try to lean away from the direction you're going!". Joy knew that if she got close to Riley at the speed she was going now, they'd both crash.

Riley was going at such a speed that she almost wasn't sure where she was going, but bending her knees had helped a little. Starting to zoom toward the left side of the skating rink, she moved a little tithe right to balance her weight.

"You're doing great!" Joy encouraged, able to skate more alongside her. "Now try pointing your toes inwards into a V-shape!"

Riley was glad at least that she knew what a V looked like. A little hesitant at first, Riley slowly dug the edges of the skates into the ice and pointed her feet inward.

Joy skated in front of her, holding out her arms. "Okay, don't worry, Riley, I'm here! You're doing great!"

Riley was relieved that Joy was there to catch her if needed, but she was able to finally slow down her momentum enough to stop. She stood in the center of the ice, looking at Joy with an absolutely exhilarated feeling rushing through her body.

"I, I did it!". Riley's smile was about as wide as Joy's, punching the air in victory. "I actually did it!"

Joy felt incredibly happy at Riley's enthusiasm. "Think ya can start it up again?" she asked with a grin.

For the next 30 minutes, the two of them practiced skating along the rink, getting more into how the blades of the skates moved along the ice.

Riley overcame her initial shakiness, and soon found herself loving it, with Joy's careful guidance always there to assist her. Her lanky limbs allowed her to stretch and move almost effortlessly when she got going, and found that it had knocked soccer off the top spot on her list of favorite sports.

Joy skated along with Riley to the edge of the rink, retrieving the sticks and pucks needed for the greatest sport on ice. She offered Rilry a challenging expression.

"Ya up to really trying some ice hockey?"

Riley's eyes lit up, and she nodded her head as she managed to stand up properly. "Sure! Let's get started!"

Handing her a stick, Joy skated on her opposite side before dropping the puck onto the ice. Riley gave her a curious expression before glancing at the ice.

"Okay, so you got the skating thing down," Joy analyzed, "now let's see how good you can hit."

"Is it like kicking the ball?" Riley asked, gripping her stick.

"Something like that, but rather you hit the puck with this," the yellow emotion gestured, waving her stick. "Like soccer, you try and hit it into the other team's goal."

"Did Fear have a really hard time with this?" Riley asked.

"At first," Joy chuckled. "Anger wouldn't stop beating him at every game. But soon Fear started getting goals into _his_ net."

Riley gazed at her stick, which she clacked on the ice with a thunk. Gripping it tighter, she steadied on her skates while Joy handled the puck.

"Let's see how hard you can hit," Joy began. Although she wouldn't be surprised because yesterday's game said a lot about Riley's strength. She was getting stronger the more she played sports. "See the puck? Just hit it as can as you can."

Riley obeyed before skating toward her. She fiddled with the stick a bit more as she neared the puck. Joy watched in anticipation as the younger girl positioned the end of her stick right behind it.

Finally, she whacked it as hard as she could. The sound echoed throughout the building. However, she made a misstep and only pushed the puck an inch from its location. Riley groaned in frustration, to which Joy comforted with a pat on the back.

"Hey, hey!" she said soothingly. "It was a simply mistake! No one's perfect! Just try again!"

Riley grunted under her breath, eyes blazed toward the puck that was mocking her. Gripping her stick even tighter, she lifted the end upward. Then slammed right into the puck.

A lot harder than she expected as it glided across the ice with a loud skid. It was practically flying as it nearly went to the end of the rink! Joy's eyes widened in amazement, before turning to Riley who rubbed her forehead, some sweat producing.

"That was awesome!" Joy exclaimed. "See? That felt pretty good, huh?"

Riley smiled sheepishly. "I guess I don't know my own strength..."

"Well, you're pretty strong, kid," the emotion chuckled. "Soon you'll be kicking Anger's butt the next game we play."

The mention of the person who pained Riley's confidence may have not been the best thing to say. But Riley shook it aside, knowing that it was just her and Joy. Fear and Sadness were on board, but for the last two, she really couldn't see any friendship.

"So how about this," Joy said coyly, positioning her stick opposite Riley's, "let's play one round."

"What do we do?" the other girl asked, noticing the playful expression on her friend's face.

Joy grinned. "See who can hit the puck into whose net. See those red lines?" She pointed toward the ends of the rink where red marks were embedded into the ice to determine distance. "Whoever's can hit the puck straight past their opponent's goal wins the round."

Riley gazed from left to right. She would have to do a lot of skating and balancing if she wanted to succeed. And Joy was patient and fun, so there really wasn't much worry. She turned to see Joy had the puck in her hand, dangling it over their sticks.

"Ready?" she asked.

Riley paused for a moment. Then she nodded.

"Here we go!" Joy announced as the puck fell from her hand.

It landed with a clack between their sticks. It was practically a blur when the emotion managed to skate around Riley and slid the puck under her stick. The blonde's eyes widened before she hurried after her.

Both began to laugh as they raced around the entire rink, Riley hot on Joy's heels as the latter kept the puck under her surveillance. As the 11-year-old observed, Joy always kept the puck in her path by clapping the end of her stick on one end onto the other, like a knife chopping onions. The blonde kept that in mind, certain she could master it in time.

Recalling soccer, Riley swerved around Joy before clacking her stick with hers. The emotion was surprised by this action, but was very much proud before their sticks wrestled. It was a moment before Riley managed to push hers aside, taking this opportunity to grab the puck from her.

Shooting across the ice, copying the technique Joy had used, the yellow emotion grinned as she followed her. She was really getting it.

Riley grinned as she circled around the rink, getting more absorbed in this new sport. Hockey seemed a lot more passionate than even soccer, and she adored the chill air of ice surrounding her. No wonder Joy loved it so much! It was more fun than any sport with a ball!

"Riley!" Joy called. "Now's your chance! Make a score!"

Riley looked up, seeing an open space. She might have been a long distance from the other end of the rink, but she took the chance anyway. Raising her stick, she slammed the puck with all her might.

Just as Riley had hoped, it leaped right off the ice. The puck then landed with a large clink before sliding across. And made it just a bit over the red line.

Riley blinked, stunned. "I... I did it!". She found herself grinning as broadly as Joy was, feelings of exhilaration overflowing her mind. Part-human makeup aside, she felt lighter, freer, as if whatever human nature that had been part of her vanished, leaving only the pure energy of an emotion in its wake.

She found that feeling came to her when she was at one of her happiest moments. And this was one of them—perhaps it was from all the energy she had exerted through skating and having her first shot at hockey, but the feeling seemed stronger than it had before.

And she loved it.

"Alright, Riley!" Joy cheered, spinning around on her skates and meeting her friend on the ice. "You totally knocked that outta the park!"

"We're not in the park," Riley said, looking a bit confused.

Joy chided herself for remembering Riley had little knowledge of expressions and tended to be literal-minded. "It's an expression. It means you did a really great job!"

Riley found herself blushing at her friend's compliment. "I _did_ do great, didn't I?"

"You're like a natural!". Joy then skated over to the other side of the rink and retrieved the puck, placing it in front of them. She gave Riley a challenging smirk.

"Up for Round 2?"

* * *

The day went by, and Riley made sure just to focus on herself, Joy, and the ice. If any others came in, she tried to force herself to ignore them, letting the thrill of her new favorite sport command her attention.

Though she possessed no outer glow of her own, the way Riley felt as she nearly flew across the ice almost gave Riley a vibe as if she had one like any other emotion. Or maybe the brightness of Joy's own aura was just brightening her mood.

It always did.

By the time the pair returned home, the stars twinkled in the sky above and the bustling city lights helped light their way home.

Delight, of course, was thrilled to see them.

"We'll, you two were out late," Delight said with a gentle grin. "I bought you guys pizza in case you were hungry!"

Riley felt like this day was just about perfect. Hanging with Joy, learning ice hockey, and eating pepperoni pizza—somehow her life since she started living with Joy had its mostly up moments.

"After we eat," Joy added to her friend who was hungrily eating the pepperoni-covered pizza,"we can work a bit more on reading for school!"

Riley nodded in agreement, unable to stop herself from smiling as she swallowed.

"Oh, by the way, Riley," Delight said, "I made an appointment to talk about your registration and for you to take the Placement Test." she paused. "And, well..."

Riley looked at her.

"I need to bring you there along with me. You need to take the test there."

Riley's eyes nearly hit the ceiling the moment she said that. While she had been aware that to take the test required an appearance, it still frightened her that she really did have to appear before them. She had hoped maybe she would take the test from the comforts of the house, but she had to make herself known sooner or later.

She gave a stiff nod, unable to produce words as Delight rambled on about how nice the administration was. Despite the facts given about how it was rated one of the top schools in the district, Riley felt that it won't be for long once she was present. After all, she was going to sit among individuals, which she looked nothing like. Part of her wished Joy could be with he, but the emotion had an education of her own. With people she knew and who adored her.

Riley had no one there. Well, save for maybe Mr. Bing Bong himself. The thought of him eased her a little.

As the warm pizza smelled across from the dining room, she kept reminding herself of her improvements: math, history, reading, and especially sports. It would be dishonorable to throw all that work away in the moment of anxiety. While she and Joy sat down with huge slices on their plates, she kept positive.

After all, like Joy said, there was always a bright side to everything. The bright side to this appearance requirement would be that she wouldn't have to wait any longer to show herself. That and see Mr. Bing Bong again. She secretly kept her fingers crossed she would be in his class.

"The test isn't that long," Delight assured her as she ate her slice. "It's a mix of everything you've been learning. Mostly just reading so they can see how good you are with it."

"It's not really scary," Joy added, "when I took it, the test was a breeze! You take it, they look at it, and then you're in school."

"Just like that?" Riley asked, raising a brow.

"Of course," the other girl promised. "I mean, my friends have done it, and they were pretty satisfied with the results. And with how much we've been learning, I'm sure you'll do better than great!"

Her words comforted Riley's uncertainty. After all, Joy was usually right about these sort of things. While winning _all_ of her friends over was a boon, this Riley knew was very true.

"And just think about it," Joy chirped. "You'll see Mr. Bing Bong again! That's the best thing about going to my school!"

Riley actually smiled at this. She really hoped to be in his class.

Delight peered into the living room to see the girls sitting on the couch, a stack of books on the coffee table. After pizza they were back to teaching Riley the basics, and this time they were focusing on reading. From what she noticed, Riley was doing an excelling job with her vocabulary, and soon conversations would be much easier with her.

The older emotion noticed the old history book she lent Joy earlier. A guilty feeling emerged once more at the pit of her stomach.

Let the child learn everything there was to know about life before she really had to accept a new one. Delight kept reminding herself that Riley's transfer wouldn't be so bad. After all, she would meet people just like her, and the alienation would cease, and she might become happy.

But at what price if she had to leave her and Joy?

Delight was still unsure if she could even resume the mission. Aggravation had put a lot of time and effort into this project, and he refused any alternatives. He asserted that Riley was their chance for a whole new discovery and even more. To Delight, it was like breaking up a family.

Panic had tried to assure her that Riley would understand. Even Joy. But even if her own daughter smiled about this, Delight knew that the happiest could become the most miserable in seconds.

Sighing, she turned away from the living room to give the girls some space. Let them enjoy what time they had before it all came crashing down.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, next chapter will be Riley's little placement text, and we'll see how she does with that! See you ext chapter and remember to review!**


	21. Placement

**A/N: 1, 2, 3, 4, guess who's finally back for more? I am, am! XD In all seriousness, after a long hiatus, I am finally FINALLY back to posting these. And the chapters of this are gonna be much more frequent!**

 **Also, for those who read Intercom but haven't checked since Sunday... I posted Chapter 17, huzzah!**

 **With that said, on we go!**

 **Disclaimer: Cartuneslover17 and I own Terracordis and our OCs, but Riley, Joy, and any other IO characters belong to Pixar.**

* * *

"Hey. Get up, sleepyhead! Big day today!"

Riley opened her eyes slowly, shifting a little in her bed, noticing Joy gently shaking her awake and smiling at her. "What time is it?"

"7am," Joy giggled, "but the test starts at 8:30. Want to make sure you're prepared and look nice and all that!"

Riley rubbed her eyes and sat up, wincing slightly. Now that the test day was here, she felt excited and nervous at the same time. What if she was banned from taking the best because she was a part-human part-Terracordian... thing?

The thoughts swirling around her head must have been visible all over her face, because Joy laughed softly and patted her on the shoulder. "You'll do fine! We've all been teaching ya all the necessary stuff, you'll do great!"

But Riley felt more and more uncertain. What if she spontaneously forgot everything the moment the test was put in front of her?

But her more positive side assured her that wouldn't happen. Joy was right in that she had improved, on all fronts—even her relationships with Sadness and Fear! Well, mainly Sadness was the one she could call a friend now. Fear... well, he taught her, but still needed a bit of improvement in feeling brave around her.

At least it was a start.

As Delight and Joy quizzed Riley during breakfast, a ding sounded from Joy'scell phone. She picked it up and smiled, showing Riley the text that Sadness had sent:

 _Tell Riley I wish her good luck today on the test! I'd text her myself, but you know, she doesn't have a phone._

Riley felt her confidence brighten. Sadness wished her luck. She was rooting for her.

Riley decided at this point she could put Sadness on her list of friends.

Delight drove both of them to the school so Joy could continue quizzing Riley, feeling more confident that she would do well. The easy stuff was a breeze and though long-division was still a challenge she got many answers right.

Eventually, the car pulled up to the school and Joy helped Riley out, deciding to walk in with her.

"Good luck!"

As much as Riley wished Joy would remain by her side, this test required only her appearance. Joy promised she and her mom would be waiting outside, but the blonde felt even more dependent on her. Those moments she had been by herself were scary, and she was about to take a test that would determine her placement!

She held onto Joy's hand as they reached the main doors of the school. She squeezed it tighter once they entered, finding someone at the front desk. She was typing away on a computer before she looked up and noticed them. She glanced from Joy before her eyes fell on Riley. The girl tensed before the adult looked away. Although it had only lasted a couple of seconds, it was enough of a precaution.

"Hello!" Joy greeted cheerfully. "My friend is here to take a placement test." She gestured to Riley.

When the woman looked at her again, her lips curved in a sincere smile. Riley was surprised by this. And that smile didn't appear false either. Maybe she was jumping to conclusions.

"You must be Riley, right?" she asked gently. "A Mrs. Astar mentioned you wanted to enroll here."

Riley was unable to progress words, stunned. But she managed a nod, still holding onto Joy.

"Alrighty then," the woman said before getting up fro her seat. She picked up a thin packet from her desk along with a couple of pencils. "The testing room is this day. Guardians and friends can't exceed from this point." she added, glancing over at Joy.

Riley turned to her friend, her fingers still linked with hers. Joy simply smiled at her, giving her an encouraging nod.

"Mom and I will be waiting for you, okay?" she promised. "You go do well on that test. We'll be rooting for you."

The blonde watched as her hand slid out of hers, and Riley automatically followed the woman through a nearby doorway. Glancing over her shoulder, Joy gave her one last wave before Riley had to focus in front of her.

The room she was to test in looked like the inside of a classroom. Only a little more bare with white boards on the walls and a few posters. Desks were arranged, and the woman gestured for her to take one. Riley obeyed as she sat on the front row. The woman smiled at her before placing her packet and pencils on her table.

"There we go," she said. "You have two hours. Will that be enough for you?"

"Uh, sure..." Riley replied as politely as she could.

"Good," the woman said as she exited through the door. "I'll be in my desk if you need anything. Good luck on your test."

And she closed the door behind her, leaving Riley completely alone. The blonde gazed around the room, the bareness making it feel almost deserted. She turned to her packet, then reached over to flip to the first page.

The moment she was hit in the face with a math problem, all of what Joy and Delight had taught her immediately emerged. The first one was a multiplication equation. Sadness had taught her a great deal of this stuff, and if Riley just marked and answered the questions carefully on the side, she would be able to answer. Math always required having to doodle some work before answering.

She noticed that other problems required knowledge of division, along with addition and subtraction. Some were also math problems that required a little reading, like how many flowers were being sold and stuff. Thankfully, Sadness made her own word problems in which Riley managed to answer.

She decided to check the rest of the pages, psyche herself up and remember everything she was taught. The next portion was history related, which involved a lot of paragraphs to be read followed by dates and people. Fear had swallowed his anxiety enough to read her history about the world itself, especially around their city, which she took everything to heart. It was a short section, however.

The next portion was science, which did involve a little math because of the metric system. Delight helped her in this because she, of course, was a scientist. Riley was able to determine volume and mass, followed by learning more about gravity.

The final portion was reading. Short stories ranging from two to three pages, Riley knew this required a lot of patience and understanding. Fortunately for her, Joy influenced her about the thrill of reading. And these stories looked interesting, she doubted she would miss a thing.

Overall, the entire packet was at least thirty pages. And she had two hours.

A small yet confident smile merged onto her lips. Grabbing one of the perfectly sharpened pencils, she flipped back to the first page.

She could do this.

* * *

Riley tried to let herself relax, feeling more confident as the test went on. There were a few questions that she struggled on, but much to her relief, she felt that a good number of them were a breeze.

At least, she hoped they were. She remembered how Fear had warned her about how sometimes teachers tried to trip you up when it came to tests. She just had to hope that none were the case this time.

Giving her answers a quick double-check before the time was up, Riley then put the booklet and answer sheet into its evelope and handed it to the teacher.

The tangerine-haired woman smiled gently. "All finished?"

Riley nodded, managing a weak smile.

"Great," the receptionist said, taking the envelope from her and shaking her hand (which Riley felt surprised at). "I should be able to contact Delight about your results by tomorrow."

"Thanks," Riley said, an elated feeling rising in her chest. She had completed the test. And she didnt feel like she failed it! And the receptionist lady didn't flinch!

Maybe there was hope for her in this school after all.

"I'm sure you did great, Riley," the woman said with a gentle smile. "You're a bright girl."

"Bright?" Riley quickly glanced down at her skin, half-expecting to see her appearance having changed to be as luminescent as Joy's. Noticing that she still remained her same pale, solid color, she looked at the woman in confusion.

The woman laughed gently. "I meant that you seem like a very smart girl."

Riley felt a blush faintly appear on her face. This lady thought _she_ was _smart_?

"You're in Delight's care, right?"

Riley nodded.

"She's been taking good care of you."

Riley made a mental note to tell Delight that. After all, the woman was right—though Riley was an experimental, half-human half-Terracordian being, Delight cared for and loved her as if Riley was her own daughter. "I'm lucky to be with her."

The woman offered Riley a kind smile. "And I'm sure she and Joy are lucky to have you. Oh! Tell Joy Ms. Optimism says hello! That's me, by the way."

"Were you her teacher?"

"Yup! 2nd grade, smart little girl. She outside waiting for you?"

"Yeah."

Ms. Optimism grinned. "I wish you all the best with your results, Riley. I'll be looking forward to seeing you around the school next week!"

Riley's mood just kept lifting. Ms. Optimism sounded like she genuinely meant it.

When Riley exited the school, she found a surprise waiting for her. Or rather, two surprises.

She had expected Joy and Delight, of course, but the two others present came as a shock.

"Sadness? Fear?"

Sadness waved a little and actually smiled, and even Fear managed a tiny grin.

"How'd it go?" Sadness asked, looking hopeful.

Riley found herself grinning. "I feel like I did pretty good!"

Joy grinned and ran over, giving Riley an eager high five. "Alright! I knew you could do it, Riley!"

Delight couldn't help but smile at the others congratulating her. "How about I take us all to a movie to celebrate?"

"Sounds great!" Joy exclaimed.

"Thanks, Mom!"

Everyone else turned at that sentence. It wasn't Joy who had referred to Delight as "Mom"—it was _Riley_.

Riley's eyes widened at what she had just blurted out.

Delight just stared at Riley, her jaw unhinged as she just processed the word. Joy, Fear, and Sadness were silent, unsure of what to make of this. Not that they were offended by it or anything, but they never expected anything like this.

Riley's cheeks flushed red. She had no idea why she said that. On the one hand, she knew that she had been constructed in a lab, not naturally born like everyone else—she was being looked after by the Astar family and nothing more. On the other hand, Delight had been nothing more than a true parental figure to her. Ever since Riley had been "born", she and her daughter were the first people to shower love over her head. Somehow the butterflies in Riley's stomach had just poured off the tip of her tongue, unable to hold back what was very significant to her.

"I...I'm sorry..." Riley muttered, casting her eyes downward. "I...I didn't mean..."

The next thing she knew, she was brought into a big hug. Riley's eyes widened, her arms suddenly draped over Delight's shoulders as the adult emotion wrapped hers around the waist. She had to bend down a little to meet Riley's height, but overall the hug was splendid and warm. And Riley found herself practically melting into her embrace.

Joy watched, almost tearfully. She had honestly hoped one day Riley would say _that_. Sadness and Fear just stood by, simply witnessing a moment neither had expected. They were unsure of how Anger and Disgust would react, however.

But reflecting on it, Fear realized he should have expected something like this. His father made it clear that since Delight took Riley under her wing, the child had been like a second daughter to her. Now it was clear that Riley felt that too.

Slowly breaking the hug, Delight looked into Riley's blue eyes that reminded her so much of Joy's.

"It's okay, sweetheart," Delight told her gently. She lifted Riley up, arms clasped around her as she smiled, fighting tears coming to her eyes. "I feel the same way."

The little blonde was unsure of what else to say. This was quite awkward, yet lovely in its own right. She was with Delight and Joy, the two people she was very blessed to have in her life. The same occurred for Sadness, and, of course, even Fear.

Delight just smiled at her. Although deep down her heart was breaking even more. As if it wasn't painful enough just thinking about it, just imagining having to lose one of her daughters would practically kill her.

Aggravation was wrong. Riley _did_ have a real purpose for something in this world. But she doubt that would change his mind.

Fighting back the tears threatening the corners of her eyes, Delight grasped Riley's hand. Smiling wider, she turned to the others.

"So how about that movie?" she suggested, trying not to sniffle.

"We're in!" Joy chirped, acting more cheerful than ever, the glow becoming much brighter than the weather.

"Good," Delight said sweetly as she led them back to her car. "Afterwards, let's go have pizza." She looked down at Riley. "Meat special as usual?"

The blonde's eyes twinkled. "Definitely!"

"Okay, dear!" Delight said, ruffling her hair a bit.

After entering Delight's car and were now on the street, Fear glanced over at Sadness. Luckily, Joy was conversing with Riley, and the radio was turned way up for Delight to even hear them.

"I really hope Anger and Disgust don't think we ditched them," he said quietly to the blue emotion. "Has Joy spoken to them yet?"

"Disgust said she hasn't received one text," Sadness responded. "Anger's about to throw his phone against a wall because he's not getting anything."

Fear swallowed before glancing over at Joy. "I really hope all of us will hang out again."

"Including...?" Sadness inquired, jerking her head toward the individual sitting at the end.

"Yes," Fear sighed. "Especially her. I mean, if we could do it, why not the rest of our friends?"

"Because Disgust can be an idiot and Anger is an even bigger one," Sadness said matter-of-factly.

The purple emotion's eyes widened. "Sadness!"

"Oh, like I didn't hear what Anger said while I was being put in that ambulance just before I passed out," she frowned. "That was uncalled for, and I wouldn't be surprised that Joy is making them wait. This is one thing he has in common with his dad."

As much as Fear hated to admit it, Sadness was right. But hopefully, someday, Anger and Disgust would change their minds about Riley.

If Fear himself could do it, why not they?

* * *

During the movie, Riley sat between Joy and Delight, with Fear on Joy's other side and Sadness next to him. Despite the action present (though she found the laser swords to be awesome), Riley felt almost peaceful as she smiled at the others in the row. Just her, two friends, and her family.

 _Can I call them my family?_ she thought to herself. Perhaps she was looking too much into it.

But then she noticed the way the pair was smiling at her. How much love for her shone in their expressions.

They were her family. No matter what Aggravation would say.

Riley hadnt been to a movie theater before, but she found herself loving it. And the popcorn.

Even Sadness and Fear managed a few conversation points that caused Riley to smile.

And of course, afterward there was pizza.

Fear found himself slowly warming up to Riley. He was beginning to understand what Joy, Delight, and his dad saw in this girl. She was curious, she was eager to learn, she had a wide-eyed look about her that regarded everything as if she were a small child. Which, at least experience-wise, she was.

"So how'd you like Star Reflections?" Joy asked eagerly. "Good, great, bad?"

Riley managed a smile. "I liked it! Even though it said Episode 4—"

"The first three are prequels," Joy explained. "That means they take place before the fourth one but were made after. They're having special showings of all six of the movies before the seventh comes out in a few months!"

A fourth movie in a series that was okay to skip the first three? The whole prequels thing just confused Riley, but she enjoyed it all the same.

"We have them all at home," Joy assured. "We'll watch 5 and 6 later!"

"Sounds great!" Riley exclaimed. "I kinda want one of those laser blades though."

"Don't we all?"

The group shared a laugh at that.

"So, um, Riley," Fear said, clearing his throat, trying to make conversation of his own. "How do you like the school? By the way it looks, I mean."

"It looks great!" Riley exclaimed, grinning over at Joy for a moment. "I met Mr. Bing Bong too!"

"I hope you get him," Sadnees said kindly. "He was always my favorite!"

"I think he's everyone's favorite!" Joy agreed enthusiastically.

"And don't worry if you have trouble with making a memory orb," Sadness advised. "I did, and Joy helped me out with it."

"Sure did, cousin!" Joy beamed, giving Sadness a playful punch.

Delight was about to chime in with her own remarks, until she heard her phone go off. She checked who it was and felt a foul taste in her mouth.

It was Aggravation.

Delight gave the others an apologetic smile, standing up from her seat to take the call. While they were eating and chatting amongst themselves, Delight put some distance between her and their table before answering.

"What is is, Aggravation?" she sighed with reluctance.

"Don't tell me you actually got her enrolled," responded the familiar gruff voice.

The more cheerful emotion rolled her eyes. "Riley just took the placement test. We're all celebrating right now."

" _Celebrating_?" the red emotion exclaimed. "For what? You do know she won't be here much longer."

The bitter feeling simmered in Delight's mouth as her lips pressed together. "At least let her know what to expect when the time comes. This school will do a lot for her."

"You do realize school can be a danger zone, right?" Aggravation pointed out. "You know as well as I do that one wrong move could harm her."

"You don't actually think Riley would get in trouble, do you?" Delight scoffed.

"Has she not been before?"

"That was not her fault!" Delight argued. "She was still new to the world during that time. Now she is cooperating a lot better than we expected."

Aggravation was silent for a few moments, and Delight thought maybe he was contemplating that she had a point.

"You know, I haven't seen your daughter with my son in a while."

A more guilty feeling came over her as she glanced over her shoulder. Joy was having a swell time with two of her emotion friends, the two that were actually progressing with Riley. Delight had hoped that maybe sometime soon Anger and Disgust would develop the same way.

"Well, Joy is doing it in her own pace," she said simply. "After all, your son doesn't exactly seem to accept Riley the way the others have. Neither does Contempt's daughter."

"I honestly expected much," Aggravation responded. "After all, it proves my son trusts his instincts more than our living experiment."

"Riley isn't just an experiment!" Delight hissed. "She's a person! A beautiful, wonderful person who means the world to me and Joy!"

"Be careful, Delight," he said, a hint of sympathy in his tone, "you'll get so attached to her that it will make this mission a lot harder."

"Then let me enjoy all the time I have left with my _daughters_ before we even talk about this stupid mission!" she huffed.

And before he could even reply, she hung up on him. Exhaling and composing herself, she turned back and returned to the table. Smile plastered on her face, she hoped the kids suspected nothing.

"Who was that, mom?" Joy asked, eating another slice of pizza.

"Oh, just some survey person," Delight lied as delicately as she could. "Nothing much."

As they resumed their meal, she casted a glance over at Riley. Her smile as she consumed her food made Delight's heart ache once more.

More than anything, she wished Riley could stay.

* * *

That night was broken up by two phone calls.

Just as Joy and Riley were getting ready for bed, Delight's phone dang. The pair thought about listening in, but the phone call was over rather quick, and Delight stepped into the room. Her face seemed unusually blank.

Joy and Riley instantly felt worried.

"What's wrong?" Joy asked, sitting on the bed next to her adoptive sister.

Delight took a deep breath. "Riley," she said, "Ms. Optimism called about your test results."

Riley sat up, her heart thumping in her chest. "Y-Yeah?"

After a moment, Delight's face suddenly broke into a broad grin as she ran toward Riley and hugged her tightly. "You got into 5th grade level!"

Riley's eyes widened. "Really?! I got in?!"

"Sure did, sweetheart!"

Joy joined in the hug. "You did it!"

Riley hugged them both happily. She had done it. The tutoring had paid off!

"And Bing Bong's your homeroom teacher!"

"Really?!" Riley's heart leapt. Everything about this was turning out perfect. Maybe Joy was right after all and school would be the best place ever!

True, there was still the issue of her being what she was. And another thought occurred to her.

"What if they tease me for being too tall along with what I am?"

"Huh?" Delight looked down at her.

"I'm nearly Joy's tallness even though she's 18," Riley pointed out, standing next to Joy herself. "I'll be around people who are as short as Anger!". She sighed. "Now everyone's gonna tease me even more."

"Hey," Joy grinned softly at her. "Anger was waaayyy short compared to everyone else. And eventually everyone accepted him! It kind of just depends."

"But Anger wasn't part human!"

"Riley," Delight said softly, stroking the girl's hair. "Everything will be okay."

And even though doubt pricked at her heart, Riley told herself she could believe them. Because she knew that at the very least, she was loved here.

* * *

 **A/N: Yes, Star Reflections is the Terracordian version of Star Wars... which I also do not own. XD Anyway, see ya next chapter, where Riley will finally have her first school day!**


	22. A Not-so-Warm Welcome

**A/N: Well, time to see how Riley's first day of school goes...**

 **Disclaimer: Cartuneslover17 and I don't own Pixar's characters.**

* * *

A week later, the three of them were driving to the school for Riley's first day. And Joy couldn't be more excited.

"So, what's 5x5?"

"25."

"What year did Cerebral City get founded?"

"1749."

"Right! See, you can totally do this!"

Riley smiled back at Joy, feeling more confident as she sat up in her seat. She glanced out the window, drinking in the sight that was officially her school. The inside of her stomach felt like balloons being aired, each one threatening to burst from excitement. Earlier this morning she had been so nervous she would have made Fear look like a brave knight. Yet as they neared the school, she felt more confident.

While a part of her was unsure about how her classmates would accept her, another part assured Riley that everything would turn out fine. After all, Mr. Bing Bong was her teacher, and how could it be any better than that?

Delight parked her car in the nearest lot, and Joy hurried Riley out of the car. With her supplies, lunch, and backpack in tow, Joy's mom gave her second daughter a peck on the cheek.

"Have a good first day of school, sweetheart!" she told her affectionately. "I'll be right here when school ends, okay?"

Riley grinned. "Okay!"

"Joy, you know where to take her?" Delight asked her first daughter.

"Of course!" the yellow emotion beamed. "It was my old class!"

Riley held her hand as Joy led her away, Delight waving farewell to her. The balloons in her belly were on the verge of popping from excitement and nervousness. But with everything going accordingly, Riley was sure her first day would turn out great. And with Mr. Bing Bong as her teacher, she was sure her social life would become even better. And Joy, Sadness, and Fear wouldn't be the only friends in her life.

As they neared the entered the hallway that would lead to Riley's classroom, Joy had a skip in her step as she hurried them along. Much to Riley's relief, the halls were empty, no one in sight. Meaning she would not receive any real attention until she was in her classroom. In her pocket was the piece of paper that declared that she was a student of Mr. Bing Bong's class, as according to the results of her test verified by the administration. She double-checked it to make sure it was there; last thing she wanted was any disaster on her first day.

"Isn't is just exciting?" she gushed. "We're almost there! Class hasn't started yet, so we're a little early. But that gives you time to look around and see your future friends!"

Riley smiled at the thought. "I wish you were with me though."

"Aw, me too," Joy responded sweetly. "But I got school, remember? We'll meet at home, and you tell me how everything goes!"

"I will," Riley promised.

They made it to the right door and Joy peered through the window. She grinned as she spotted the full classroom, followed by the appearance of her former teacher.

"Look, Mr. Bing Bong's in there!" she said happily. "And it looks like your whole class is present."

She felt her hand gripped much tighter and turned to Riley. The blonde appeared nervous right now, unsure and wishing Joy to never let go of her. Joy hated to leave Riley all by herself, but she was sure that she would do fine, especially under Mr. Bing Bong's wing.

"Hey, hey..." she said soothingly, reaching over and pushing a strand of hair away from Riley's face. "You'll be fine."

"I really don't like it when we're apart," Riley murmured.

"Don't worry," Joy assured her. "It'll only be a few hours, and then we'll see each other again before you know it."

Riley flinched as a ringing echoed throughout the school. Joy had mentioned that these sort of things happened at certain hours. She turned to the yellow emotion, her smile fading a bit.

"That's the final bell," she said encouragingly. "Now it's time for you to start school. You ready?"

"No..." Riley looked worriedly at Joy, still nervous. Especially as Joy let go of her hand.

"You'll be fine," Joy assured, giving her 'sister' a hug. "Mom and I will meet ya after school, okay?"

Riley nodded.

"Gotta go to my college now, Riley," Joy said. "I'll see ya later, okay?". She waved before starting to head off. "Good luck!"

Riley watched her go, feeling nervous all over again. But she knew that she had to go in without Joy. The more she waited, the more she'd stand out.

She took a shaky breath, placing her hand on the door and opened it.

She was met with stares from the entire class. A few leaned closer to their friends and started whispering. One light gray emotion looked like she would faint.

Riley held back a sigh. Not again.

Bing Bong was the only one who grinned. "Oh, Riley, just in time!" he exclaimed, hurrying over and putting an arm around her shoulder. "I was hoping you'd make it!". He patted her on the shoulder before turning to the rest of the class, pointing out an empty seat in front. "There's a seat left in front for you."

Riley swallowed her nervousness and sat down in the indicated seat. But she felt her heart sink as several of the students around her quickly scooted their desks away, not caring they were crashing into their classmates.

Riley winced. She had only been in here less than a minute and already she wasn't exactly making friends.

"Just put her in the back!" one exclaimed. "She kinda towers over us!"

"Then we can pretend she doesn't exist!"

Riley felt the happy balloons in her chest rapidly deflate.

Bing Bong frowned. "Be nice! Is that really how you want to treat your classmates?"

"Well, _she_ can't belong here! She's a half-human freak who will never do what we can!"

"Bet ya can't even make a memory orb..."

Riley tried to make herself smaller in her seat.

Mr. Bing Bong frowned at his class. They had been all smiles and simple chatter earlier before Riley came along. Now they were being insensitive and overall just plain cruel. To think most people would change face when their so-called instincts called for it.

He remembered the recent call from Delight in regards to Riley. He was surprised of her worry with possible lack of acceptance from her classmates, thus pleaded with him to keep an extra eye should it worsen. Bing Bong accepted that promise, no questions asked. And from the looks of things, his job was already starting. He was quite saddened when he saw Riley lower herself in her seat, trying to hide from the other students.

True, she possessed a different complexion and didn't exactly have any particles about her form. She wasn't exactly like any other being on their planet. Well, Bing Bong wasn't either! Not everyone in the city looked the same! Others were various shapes and forms, like the people who worked at Dream Productions or his favorite Imagination Land. His pal Rainbow Unicorn's only sparkle was her rainbow-colored hair, not much else!

He reasoned with himself that it was just a start for everyone. He was sure as class resumed, the other kids would begin warming up to Riley.

But if things went worse, and if one of them tried anything...Imagination help him because he would not just stand aside and allow that to happen.

He reached his front desk before picking up a marker. Writing on the board, he hoped maybe this would become a huge ice breaker.

Riley slowly glanced up at the board. What the teacher wrote said:

 _About Me_

Placing the marker down, Mr. Bing Bong turned to his class with a hopeful smile.

"So start us off today," he began cheerfully, "I would like for all of you to take out a paper and pencil, and write down describing yourself. What are you like. What are your interests. What are you hoping for in this class."

That last one came to Riley like a gentle push as she took out her materials. She dared not make eye contact with anyone. She could still feel some stares on her, a few whispers here and there, and suddenly it felt like she was sitting on an island. A very lonely island.

But maybe her paper would win them over. After all, she learned a lot since being meeting Joy. And there were just so many things she liked, she was certain she would find people in this class who shared the same.

Her pencil lightly tapped on the lined paper, thinking over what she would write.

Mr. Bing Bong sat at his desk, taking out his schedule for today as he watched everyone work. His eyes fell on Riley. She was writing at quite a rate, her blue eyes filled with excitement as words popped onto her paper.

Pizza...hockey...soccer...movies...shopping...

Riley felt her head buzz as if she had drank too much soda. She didn't want to miss one thing and added whatever she had done with Joy and the others. Everything and anything that came to mind that had made her smile, from the food she ate followed by the sports she loved. And she made sure to mention Joy and Delight as well, given that they were her family and their home was her home.

When it came to talking about herself, she simply wrote down everything Joy said of her. As well as Delight and Panic. Even Sadness and Fear. All good, lovely words she was sure would impress the class.

As for what she hoped for in this class...

She stopped her pencil. She almost wanted to write "Making friends, but decided against it. The others would think she was making a desperate attempt with this paper. So she just wrote down "Improve in learning" just to be safe.

After a few minutes, the students' writing pace slowed down before eventually stopping. Once everyone had set their pencils down, Bing Bong cleared his throat. Perhaps everyone would get along better after their activity.

Bing Bong had become a teacher to help those under his watch become better both in knowledge and character. He just hoped that acceptance was something these students would be able to learn soon—from what he had seen and what Delight had told him, Riley was a very sensitive girl, and very close to her family. She needed friends here if she wanted to expand her social boundaries and becoming used to the world.

And he'd help resolve this problem as if his life depended on it.

"Okay, everyone finished?"

A chorus of yeses and nods responded.

"Wonderful! Any volunteers?"

One student, a pale blue, thin person that Riley assumed was an emotion, raised his hand. "Do we have to stand up?"

"Only if you want to."

Riley at least felt relieved at that. She didn't want to tower over the others even more than she already did.

"I'll go," one voice volunteered, standing up. It was the emotion who had taunted Riley earlier. "I'm Bitterness, and I like movies, travel, and stargazing. Oh, and I'm grateful to be here instead of on Earth..." She glanced over in Riley's direction.

Riley looked away. True, she wasnt human, not fully, but Earthstuff had been used to make her. But clearly Bitterness saw her as more like a human than something from their world.

"As for what I want from this class, just to learn the best I can."

"Good," Bing Bong said, even though he wasn't pleased at how Bitterness had behaved. "Anyone else?"

After a few more had gone, Riley raised her hand. With a nod of encouragement from her teacher, she spoke.

"My name is Riley," she began, "and learning about the world is something i'm really fond of. I haven't lived here very long, but I'm trying the best I can to try new things and learn what it's like to live here."

She swallowed, continuing, trying to ignore the others talking. "I like pizza, soccer and hockey, movies, shopping, riding the Plutchik Wheel—"

"Who doesn't?" a female voice near the back said.

Riley could help but smile just a bit at that. "And being with my family and friends. I may still be learning things, but I'm inquisitive, curious, and... and I may not be physically bright—"

"Or mentally," she (and clearly Bing Bong) heard before the speaker yelped. "Ow! What was that for, Surpriise?"

"Be nice!". Riley recognized Surprise as the voice who commented about the Plutchik Wheel.

Riley tried to focus on finishing. "But.. I have an inner brightness that I hope will shine through. And I hope that this year I'll be able to improve in learning."

Even though there were still hostile stares toward Riley, Surprise sat in the back, quietly clapping.

Of course, so quiet that no one could hear her palms smacking against each other. But Riley was at least grateful for that one provision of support. The rest of the kids still regarded her almost maliciously. Bitterness, of course, appeared bored by what Riley had spoken about herself.

Riley smiled nervously, swallowing it all in as she sat back in her seat. She pressed herself further against her chair, feeling all the stares on her backside. Mr. Bing Bong smiled, lifting from his desk.

"A good introduction for yourself, Riley," he said supportively. "Very unique."

The blonde smiled with gratitude, looking over her paper once more. She couldn't wait to show it to Joy and Delight once she got home. The day was still new, so Riley was sure there was still time for her to possibly interact with her class on a positive level.

"Suck up..." she heard one of the kids mutter.

Riley tensed a bit, unsure of what to think of this. Was the comment referring to her or Mr. Bing Bong? She began to thought that over as the teacher, having not heard it, called in another student to share. The rest of her classmates shared interesting details about themselves, some saying they too liked pizza and a little sports (none of them hockey), and especially considered themselves highly with what words they used to define them.

Special, creative, "I think of myself as the best", everything spoken with a curtsy expression of almost brash confidence. Of course, Riley didn't mind any of it. The students wrote as they wanted, just as she did with hers. Although maybe she should have come up with better terms to describe herself, show the class she also thought of herself as "best"...

After everyone had finished, Mr. Bing Bong turned back to the board and wrote something new. The class watched as he began to put in some math problems. Riley heard a few groan behind her, muttering about how much he or she hated math and that there was no use for it today.

The problems consisted of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and especially division. Everything that had been taught to her. The equations didn't look to hard to comprehend, and Sadness had taught her how to answer them in her head.

After writing them the final problem, Mr. Bing Bong turned to his class. "Alright, let's start with a little math," he declared. "After that we'll go right to reading."

He gestured toward the first problem.

"Does anyone know what 85 times 3 is?"

No one raised their hand. Eyes were averted, and some even kept their phones hidden beneath their desk, texting away and hoping the teacher wouldn't spot them. Riley scanned the problem for a moment. Sadness had taught her about longer multiplication; one had to start with the first bottom number on the right, then the second one.

"Anyone?" Mr. Bing Bong called again.

It took some self-coaxing, but Riley slowly lifted her hand up. Mr. Bing Bong smiled at this, gesturing toward her.

"Riley?" he asked encouragingly.

The blonde tensed a bit, feeling all the stares on her as well. She lifted her head up, trying to find the voice to speak.

"255?" she asked hopefully.

The teacher beamed. "That's right!" he said before writing down the answer under the problem. "85 times 3 is 255! Great job, Ms. Riley!"

She smiled sheepishly, her cheeks heating up. However, the feeling didn't last long as she heard some of the students murmur insensitively about her once more.

"How did she even figure that out so fast?"

"She must be a robot. They look weird _and_ can do good math."

"Smart freak..."

She tensed once more, lowering herself into her seat as far as she could. This was all becoming too unsettling for her...

The math portion of home room went by quickly, Riley trying to answer only some simpler ones that the others wouldn't call her a freak for getting without writing them out.

Next it was time for discussing their texts.

"Alright, now did everyone bring their copy of _Mind and Memory_?"

Riley nodded along with the others, glad she could do so as she got out her book. She had only flipped through some of it, but at least knew some of what it covered. Imagination, energy, and all the different things that the energy beings of their world did.

Things Riley hoped she could do.

"Riley, would you like to start reading the first few pages of Chapter 1?"

"Uh...". Riley didn't want to seem like a suck up, but she wanted to prove she was worth something to the class. "Sure."

"Excellent! Now, we won't really be starting these kind of activities until next week, but it's important that the basics are known for when we do."

Riley took a deep breath and opened her mouth to start reading, but someone stopped her.

"Hold it!" A light orange girl with bright red hair stood up, walking up toward the front. Riley recognized the voice as the one who called her a "smart freak". She winced.

"Why should she get to read?" the girl pointed out, "she doesn't belong here!". She looked at Mr. Bing Bong. "She likely can't make a memory orb—"

"Not everyone can, Wrath," Bing Bong said. "But that doesn't mean—"

"That she can't do anything like us?" Wrath said. " _Look_ at her! It's likely she can't do any sort of energy abilities whatsoever!" She looked at the teacher in exasperation. "Then again, that's what I'd expect from an _experiment_!"

The others in the class started muttering much to Riley's alarm.

"So she's really the experiment?"

"I thought it would've died!"

"I forgot all about that!"

"I didn't know it was gonna be a person!"

"No wonder she seems like she could be mentally deficient and yet can still do math!"

"It was called R.I. Or something—"

"THAT'S why her name's Riley!"

"And she has that band on her arm!"

"She's too human-looking!"

"She belongs more on Earth, see if we care!"

Riley felt as if the words were flying at her like physical punches from every side. She cowered in her chair, vaguely noticing her bracelet drop a few points.

"Wrath, all of you!" Bing Bong exclaimed, his tone rising almost angrily. "You're out of order!"

"No," Wrath shouted, her red hair sparking as she pointed harshly at Riley, "SHE'S 'out of order'!"

Riley's eyes widened in dismay, unable to believe that just when she thought this was her special day...it all just had to come crashing down! Suddenly she wished Joy or Delight were here, to straighten all this out. As pathetic and dependent as that sounded, she couldn't even deny Anger's own words. How could she even deny her classmate's when she had practically the entire room pinned against her?

She lowered further into her seat, hiding her almost teary eyes under her blonde locks. She suddenly wished she never came to this place, that Aggravation must have made a point.

And these children were actually aware that Riley had been an experiment? How did they even get word of that? But none of that mattered right now. None of these people were accepting of her, and she could feel her level drop with every painful reminder that she was different.

She didn't belong here.

Mr. Bing Bong could only hold his patience for so long. He was never one to get angry, but he was firm when he needed to.

But Wrath needed more than a firm scolding right now. And from the looks of it, Riley was on the verge of having a breakdown. Delight had warned him about the band on her arm, and how Riley was still learning about living, let alone how to properly deal with feelings. He didn't further any questions, but he was well aware what it meant when the percentage dropped; he didn't want to find out what happened if it hit zero.

The class was talking loudly among themselves, speaking about Riley as if she was a caged animal they could just poke fun at. This was not what their school was famous for, and the teacher immediately had to put an end to it.

He never smacked his desk before. Seemed he didn't know his own strength as he slammed a fist straight onto the surface. The sound echoed throughout the entire room, quickly shutting all the students up as they sat upward in their seats. Even Wrath snapped to attention, body completely stiffened as she looked straight. All eyes turned to him, silent and stunned. Riley only barely looked up.

"Is _this_ what your parents teach you now?" he almost barked as he moved away from his desk. Some pencils and a few smaller supplies spilled from the impact but he didn't notice.

He gestured to Riley, who flinched as his eyes fell on her.

"Keep in mind that not everyone is an emotion!" he added. "We're all different here. You think I've ever seen another person who looks like this?"

He pointed to himself, whiskers twitching as his trunk extended out. No one said a word. Riley stared at him, shocked.

"I didn't think so," he said matter-of-factly. "Some of you are emotions. Some of you are not. Do you see a second copy of yourselves anywhere? No? My point across."

He turned to Wrath, his eyes narrowing with disapproval.

"With no disrespect I'm _glad_ there isn't another you, Ms. Wrath."

She just gawked at him, as if he had spat right in her face that she was expelled.

But there were worst things than being kicked out of this school...

"I'm going to have to call your parents about your behavior," he said sternly. "This is not how we treat people, especially on the first day of school. After the lessons, I want you to sit in the back of the room and write. A full page that says 'I will not disrespect my classmates'."

Her jaw fell, while Riley's eyes rose.

"But she's-" Wrath began.

"Do I make myself clear?" he said.

She gritted her teeth, fuming like a firecracker that threatened to explode. Tightening her fists, she averted her gaze toward the floor.

"Yes, sir..." she mumbled.

He nodded at this before turning to the rest of the class.

"If none of you wish to receive the same punishment as your classmate here, I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself. Anyone saying anything negative about Riley will receive the writing punishment too."

His eyes then fell on the blonde, who just stared at him, still overwhelmed but quite amazed at what he done.

"Riley, I'll just read this," he said, gesturing to their book. "It's fine."

She nodded at this, feeling a little sick in the stomach to open her mouth. Mr. Bing Bong turned to his class, mentally sighing that their title was soon to be stripped from them at this rate.

"Alright, now that that's over..." he said uneasily. "Let's all go back to our books. Ms. Wrath..." He glanced at the emotion next to him. "Please take your seat."

She said nothing, returning to her desk. A dark cloud almost formed above her head as she ground her teeth together.

As Mr. Bing Bong began to read, Riley was hardly paying attention. Looking over the pages, she wished she was back home right now.

She didn't want to be here at all.

Riley was torn between wishing homeroom was over and not wanting it to end. On the one hand, leaving meant she hopefully wouldny be around Wrath or Bitterness. On the other hand, the same situation might repeat itself in her other classes. And Bing Bong wouldn't be there to help her.

She made sure to take notes diligently though, not focusing on the whispers of her classmates and just on her work. She was pretty sure that Mr. Bing Bong's kindness and perserverence was the only thing that kept her feeling there was a bright side to being in here.

She chanced a look at the clock. 9:28. She then looked at the schedule she had been given. Bing Bong was apparently the teacher for Energy Education. That explained the textbook. Though, as Riley found out, basic math and science were used in honing such abilities, so a little bit of that was taught as well, even though it wasn't the main focus class.

Two more minutes and she'd head off for Science class with Mr. Orion. She hoped he'd be as nice as Mr. Bing Bong. Or what if just started seeing her as an experiment too?

No. Joy had said the teachers here were nice. Riley trusted Joy. But then, Joy had last attended 5th grade 8 years earlier. Some teachers may have been replaced. Or they'd look at her strangely just like the students. She wasn't looking forward to that.

Riley looked over the others. Language, Math... Lunch and Recess. Safe havens. She could find somewhere away from the people who kept taunting her and eat lunch on her own... but she wished Joy and Delight were with her.

Then back to the classrooms. Art, then History, then Astronomy.

Then 3:00. School would be over. She could go home. And she was wanting to stay there.

A ringing sounded through the school that caused Riley to jump. The bell. Class was over.

As the students hurriedly tried to gather their things, Bing Bong raised his voice. "And I don't want to hear about any more cruelty like this morning, is that clear?"

The students murmured in response, though some confirmations seemed half-hearted.

Riley stayed behind, waiting for everyone else to leave before heading off to leave herself.

"Riley?" Bing Bong said gently.

Riley, startled, flinched and looked up at him. "Y-Yeah?"

He sighed. "Don't let what those kids said in home room get to you. I'll try to help things get sorted out the best I can alright?". He patted her on the back. "I know you have to go to your next class right now, but... if you ever need anything, just let me know."

Riley felt a little better by his sincere words. He reminded her so well of both Panic and Delight. She deeply wished he would be teaching all her classes, but that just wasn't the case with school.

She gave him a stiff yet grateful nod. "Thank you..." she murmured.

"No problem, Riley," he told her, patting her back. "Now you better hurry to your next class. See you soon, okay?"

"Okay," she responded quietly as she was the last one out the door.

The hallways were filled with students pushing and passing to get to their next class. Many stopped and stared as she came in, causing many to part and press themselves to the wall. Almost as if she was some contagious disease. Riley's temporary lift of her mood then crashed down, her head bowed as she tried not to make eye contact. The whispers just got louder, and she could feel many pointing in her direction.

Experiment...arm band...no purpose...human...

Joy often told her to take things with a grain of salt...whatever that meant. But the emotional wounds from earlier still stung, and just right now it was like they were throwing salt straight at the open cuts. Riley felt her body shiver with even more uncertainty, both wanting to just go home and wishing her education could have been more private.

She found herself missing Mr. Bing Bong more and more the further she was away from his class. The next one was Mr. Orion, which, according to Joy, was the name of a star. So he must not be an emotion, but still able to fit among this society, like Bing Bong and other unique individuals. Riley would never forget what her own classmates looked like, or how they looked at her. She just wanted to get it all out of her head before she had to go to the next class.

Unfortunately, it was on the second floor. So having everyone immediately part in her presence was not exactly a confidence booster. Riley dipped her head even lower as she walked up the steps, children gasping and pressing themselves deeper to the walls. The murmurs and rumors only got worse, many watching her carefully as if she were an animal who could only pent up so much rage.

Part of Riley wanted to just get angry.

When she made it to the second floor, she had to lift her head up to see where she was going. Mr. Orion's class was nearby, and she kept a lookout for that door number. When she found it, students were just starting to pile in. The moment they noticed her, they stiffened, and Riley found herself having to cut through the paused line just so she would get inside.

The teacher was nowhere in sight, but the room was quite full. And just the same as her previous.

Students took one look at her before already the talking commenced. This was probably something she would have to deal with for the time she would be in school. And the idea of making friends was already tossed out the window. Her newest goal was simply to just survive until she could finally go home to Joy and Delight.

This time she didn't take a seat at the front. She chose somewhere in the way back. That way she wouldn't feel stares behind her, or hear the conversations as well either. This would also give her a great opportunity to avoid being chosen by the teacher, then no one would call her a suck up.

Taking her seat, Riley kept her eyes focused on her desk as she placed her belongings down. She settled for a piece of paper and laid them on the surface. She was prepared to take only notes, forget about answering questions even though she would probably know them.

Glancing up at the clock, it was almost time for class to start. Somehow the device was mocking her. Every second seemed to take longer than the previous.

Every second before she would finally go home.

* * *

 **A/N: Poor Riley, not a good day so far... hopefully the rest will be better.**


	23. A Fight in the Schoolyard

**A/N: Sorry I haven't posted the chapters as often as I've liked, but to make up for it, here's a longer one! A bit more school drama coming up...**

 **Also, hoping to get to update Intercom soon as well. :)**

 **Disclaimer: Do Cartuneslover and I own Terracordis? Yes. Do we own Inside Out? Nope.**

* * *

Mr. Orion, as it turned out, was very well-deserving of his name. He had a face, of course, but his body seemed as if it were composed of an assemblage of stars that formed a shape similar in stature to the emotions in the class.

His bright aura reminded Riley a lot of her family.

And that was the reason that Riley knew the others looked at her strange. Everything was bright and fantastic in this world, but concerning Riley it was as if brightness and life had been drained out of her, to them.

And Bitterness was in this class too. Great.

But Riley tried to ignore that. At least Mr. Orion didn't automatically call her. He did, however, ask each of them to stand and introduce themselves, saying a sentence or two about them and what they liked. With each introduction, Orion would send out a few pinpricks of light from his palm to shine on them like a spotlight.

Riley winced the moment that came up. Though the teacher had good intentions, this wasn't exactly helping her plan to try to stay invisible.

And when it was her turn, the same things happened. People whispering about her, wondering why she was there, even after her quick introductory sentences.

"Are we gonna make her be a presentation?" someone asked.

"Good one," Bitterness snickered.

"Absolutely not!" Mr. Orion exclaimed. His gentle yellow glow suddenly turned blue. "You are NOT to treat a fellow student like that!"

Riley cringed, her fists clenched and her teeth gritted. Now some of the students were saying part of the curriculum should be studying _her?!_

She fought back tears, not letting them fall, just keeping her head down and doing her work. Only looking up when Mr. Orion wanted them to all look up at the board.

But there were still the whispers of those closest to her. And her stability percentage dropped.

Language Arts went the same way. As did Math. And History. And the transitions between the classes.

Riley felt as if she couldn't even step into a room without other students whispering or freezing or running away.

She had wanted this day to be perfect. But since Joy had left it was crashing down. Even the fact that lunch and recess were next was only a small comfort.

Riley felt scared. And sad. And angry.

Anger wasn't a feeling that was all too familiar for her. But her physical stability was starting to wear down.

And her mental stability wasn't faring well either.

Riley couldn't help but look on forlornly, the hostile glares of her classmates still burned into her mind. But she wanted to at least try to make some friends now that it was lunch...

Biting her lip, Riley tried to talk to some of the other students around who she assumed were on their way to the cafeteria. But every time she tried to strike up a conversation, at best they would only give her half-hearted responses and avoided her. At worst, they flinched, called her a freak, or ran away.

Riley sighed, sitting on a bench near homeroom. She didn't feel like going to the cafeteria and being ignored or feared again.

She pulled out the lunch bag that had been given to her that morning, and found a folded piece of paper on top of the food. She unfolded it and read it to herself.

 _Have a great first day, Riley! I'm rooting for ya!  
-Joy_

"Having a pretty crummy day, actually," she muttered sadly, folding the note up and starting to eat her sandwich. But she could feel tears pricking at the edges of her eyes and her throat tighten, making it difficult to swallow. She suddenly didn't feel all that hungry.

"Hey," a voice suddenly said, "you okay there?"

Riley looked up, startled as she recognized the voice. It was Bing-Bong, her homeroom teacher. "Y-Yeah... I mean...". She paused. She had to talk to someone about her loneliness. "No...". She sniffled, turning away and closing her eyes slightly.

A concerned frown crossed Bing Bong's face and he sat down next to her. Riley scooted away a little and didn't look at him. She didn't want to see more unease in everyone at the school who saw her.

There was sympathy in the pink elephant 's eyes. "Look, I don't think it was right how the kids treated you in class today. They just..."

"They're afraid of me," Riley mumbled. She wiped away tears with her sweater sleeve. "You probably are too...". Maybe he had just waited until she was gone from home room, then started talking to others about her...

It hurt Bing Bong's heart to see Riley feeling this sad. And on her first day too. He looked thoughtful for a moment, choosing his words carefully. There had to be some way to help her. "Riley... I'm not afraid of you."

Reluctantly, she opened her eyes and slowly looked up at him. Unlike the others, he didn't look at her with mistrust or scorn. Just the same kindness that she had shown to everyone that morning. "You're... you're not? Really?"

Bing Bong smiled gently and shook his head. "Not at all."

Riley carefully looked at one of her hands. "But Mr. Bing Bong... everyone else says—"

Bing Bong gently took her hand in comfort, looking at her with absolute sincerity. "Just because you're human-like doesn't mean they have to fear you. You were born into this world and you're part of it.". He put an arm around her shoulder. "Sometimes people fear things they don't understand, and the human world is strange to most of them. A blend of the two just... catches them off guard. They're not sure how to react."

Riley fell silent, thinking. Bing Bong's advice was similar to what Delight had said.

"They'll warm up to ya in time, kiddo. You'll see.". He smiled. "I promise things'll work out."

More tears were falling from Riley's eyes, though this time there was gratitude mixed with her sadness. For once, someone outside her circle of the families that had brought her into life was actually trying to understand her, instead of assuming she was dangerous.

"If ya ever need to talk, I'll be here."

Riley managed a small, almost teary smile as she looked at him. He truly was everything Joy promised and more. How could such a school full of terrible kids be so fortunate to have such a wonderful teacher? Well, all the teachers had been very nice, but Mr. Bing Bong was so different. Like a slice of Joy himself.

He smiled down at her, nodding with content. "Well, I got to get going. You should probably finish your lunch." He stood up. "But I'll be monitoring during recess. Teacher's job is never done, and teachers always keep eyes on their students." he added, giving her a wink.

She beamed a little, and suddenly craved for her sandwich this time.

"See you soon, Riley," he told her as he casually walked off, sending her a wave.

Feeling a little more confident, and happy, she waved back. Once he was gone, she picked up her sandwich and took a larger bite. She glanced at Joy's note.

Maybe it wasn't too late to have a good day here...

Eating her lunch alone was something that Riley found almost therapeutic. Maybe it was because there was no one around. Or she wasn't the center of attention.

Or by reading the note by herself she felt as if Joy was right there with her. She needed that comfort.

Either way, after finishing her lunch, the part-emotion had to admit that she felt a little better, like the sting of the earlier parts of the day had lessened. Maybe there was a chance that things could turn around after all.

She took a deep breath, walking to the outside playground at the back of the school. She was glad the hallways were mostly empty—perhaps being outside would help the other students to actually get along with her more if they were outside the school's hallways.

When she eventually stepped out, she found herself in an area as bright as the park, a small playground, and even a blacktop area off to the left where the students could play basketball and the like.

Some students who Riley recognized were all playing with some sort of ball. It looked almost like the kind of ball that she had played catch with, but there was a key difference—this one had a flame burning in it.

Riley bit her lip. True, they hadn't been very nice, but at least some seemed only a little wary of her. Plus, they had heard her paper. Maybe there was a chance that she could win over some of them.

But the moment Riley came over to investigate, the students abruptly stopped. The fireball nearly fell to the ground before Wrath caught it.

"What do you want?"

Even though Riley was taller, the gazes of the others had her feel small. "I wanted to play."

Several of them looked at one another before backing up.

" _You_ want to play?"

"Why don't you just got back to your stupid lab where you belong?"

Riley swallowed. "Just because I'm—"

"Stop with your pleading," Bitterness said with a wave of her hand. "you're wasting our time."

Bing Bong watched from across the playground carefully. Riley at least seemed to be talking with the others, almost like a casual conversation. He wished desperately that the girl could make friends here, but at least things weren't coming to blows.

Riley sighed. Maybe she could find some others who wouldn't run away, somehow. She turned and started to walk away.

"Yeah, go ahead, R.I.!" Wrath called, using her experiment name with as much distaste as possible. "Bet whatever family you think you have would just abandon you in a heartbeat!"

Riley paused, turning around. "My family loves me."

"What family?! You're basically an orphan who has no parents or purpose!"

"That's not true!". Riley clenched her fists. They were basically accusing Delight and the others of not loving her. Well, Delight and Panic and Joy definitely did, and nothing could make her doubt that.

"Oh really?!". Wrath stepped closer. "Why do you exist, then? To be loved? To fit in with us? Or just to basically prove that something like you can be created and discard you like trash?"

"They wouldn't do that!"

"Then why do you exist?"

Riley shut her eyes, the question haunting her. "I-I don't know..."

Bing Bong noticed something was up, and started to hurry over. But even though he called out, it was too late.

"Exactly!" Wrath shouted. "So why don't you just accept that, you worthless experiment. It's not like anyone can ever love you—"

That did it.

" ** _SHUT UP!_** "

With an almost savage fire in her eyes, Riley swiftly punched Wrath as hard as she could, causing Wrath to cry out briefly in pain as she clutched part of her face that seemed to now be suffering a burn.

An angry light seemed to be coming from Riley as she hit her again, and Wrath retaliated. "TAKE THAT BACK!"

Another flurry of punches. Riley cried out in pain as she felt a punch to her eye, but she heard a crack as her own knuckles connected with Wrath's jaw.

She had to defend her family's honor. Her stability bracelet was going up and down in percentage, but she didn't notice or care.

Other students screamed and leapt back, looking more unnerved than ever. Even Bing Bong's eyes widened.

Riley grunted as she tried to blink the pain away. She had never felt such physical contact before, and the pain was unlike anything she ever felt. She tried to blink the agony away, feeling as if a circle had lodged into the flesh around her eye. It was a little blurry compared to the other one, but she could still see the horrible expression that was Wrath's.

She looked scared, almost at Riley's mercy. Good...

Part of her realized that maybe Aggravation had a point. That school could only turn out so badly. "Badly" was an understatement because Riley had never met such despicable people. Joy, her mom, and the ones that truly accepted her made all these students look like the lowest base of a dirty trash can. She couldn't believe she actually hoped to make friends with these kids!

The blonde sent another punch toward Wrath, much harder as payback for her poor eye. Another one for humiliating her in class. A third just so the rest of the student body could _feel_ that.

Forget trying to make this a perfect day. She could always make perfect for _another_ day. That is, if she would still be even welcomed here after all this...

But all the kids were against her, just because she was different. Well, they were right. She was different.

So different that she could strike fear into every single one of them. Like right now.

Riley gasped as Wrath grabbed her by the shoulders. soon the girls tumbled onto the ground, practically rolling against each other's bodies as they went at each other. Riley being close to Joy's height gave her an adtantage, but Wrath was clearly no pushover.

While Wrath pinched and slammed her first into every inch available of Riley's body, the blonde practically ripped her hair out with every pull and yank. This was followed by some kicks right in the stomach. Due to her height, Riley's lanky legs stretched further than Wrath's, which proved to be a great advantage. Riley thought of the soccer ball whenever she slammed her heel onto Wrath's shin.

The emotion cried out furiously, rolling them over so she was on top of Riley. She shoved her hands away, then took this moment to slap her across the face. Students watched in both awe and horror. Some even rooted for the fight to get even more violent. Soon a circle formed around the two, cheers and shouts echoing through ears as it became pure entertainment to them.

Riley arched her back, feeling a blow to her chin while her knuckles slammed right into Wrath's chest. The blonde's eyes were closed, keeping back her whimpers as to not appear inferior.

She was done trying to be nice. If Wrath wanted to go this route, so be it. Heck, Riley almost _wished_ she had done the same thing to Anger when he spoke cruelly of her!

Mr. Bing Bong watched, horrified that Riley's day had gotten so much worse. It wasn't enough Wrath had to make her like a freak show, she had to go so far as to tear her down when she was still raw from earlier. This was exactly what Delight had been worried about. What Joy had prayed would not happen.

Although he couldn't exactly see the percentage on Riley's band, he doubted it was of significance right now. He had to step in before worse happened.

Immediately he pushed through the wide circle of students as the fight grew fiercer. His trunk flailed as he barred his way further, hoping that no serious damages were made. Soon as he broke this up, not only was Wrath's parents going to be informed, she was sure to get a full week of detention, Maybe two if she refused to back down and apologize to Riley.

He finally made it inside the circle and rushed toward the girls. With his mighty hands, he latched them onto Wrath's thighs before yanking her straight off Riley. Her hair was a mess, and there were slight bruises on her face and around her eye.

"Let me at her!" Wrath screeched, wrestling as Mr. Bing Bong held her close.

 **"THAT IS ENOUGH!"** he bellowed. "Honestly, Ms. Wrath! And on the first day of school!"

"She started it!" the young emotion screeched, kicking her legs as the teacher held her up away from Riley.

"That's not how I saw it!" he retorted.

"Didn't you see what she did to me?!"

"Sometimes physical blows aren't the start of a fight."

He held her back before looking over Riley. She laid on the ground, curled in a fetal position. She was in even more tears than during lunch. His heart broke into another million pieces as he gazed at her.

"Riley—" he began gently, hoping to clam her down.

 **"GET AWAY FROM ME!"** she cried, immediately getting to her feet.

Before he could say or do anything, she was already shoving students aside to escape. That was proven easy as kids parted out of fright as she came near them. The teacher tried to call out her name, but she refused to stop or even listen.

Riley sobbed as she kept running. She should have listened to Aggravation and never attended this place. Kids her age were just cruel. There was just no happiness here like when she was with the ones she loved.

She rushed down the campus, further away from the playground. No doubt Mr. Bing Bong would try and go after her. She really didn't want that, even though he had been nothing but kind to her. She didn't want him to associate with the raging part-emotion she had been with Wrath.

She found herself further away from the school, but she still kept going. Soon she would be in the city, probably lost and it might rain.

But this time she would find home.

Riley kept running, her feet pounding against the ground with each step that barely touched the ground before it was sent flying again. She couldn't still feel a dim heat radiating around her, specifically on her hands.

In other circumstances, she might have celebrated. Part of her Terracordian nature had shown itself. She wasn't just a human after all.

But she seemed mostly human. THat was enough of a reason for their ridicule.

But she wasn't taking that anymore.

In the blind rage she had felt attacking Wrath, and running away afterwards, she noticed that the students regarded her with an additional kind of fear. Before, it had been the fear of what she was. But their new fear was fueled by their realization.

Riley could do things. She was potentially violent. She could hurt them.

How was it that so much had changed in just a few short hours?

Whenever she saw another citizen, she would turn and quickly run a different way. Word would no doubt get out about the attack and she didn't want to risk hurting anyone else.

She knew she was becoming more lost, but for now she didn't care. As long as the path eventually led her home.

* * *

Back at the Astar household, Delight's phone suddenly rang. She hurriedly ran to it, and her eyes widened. It was Bing Bong.

Feeling nervousness prick at her heart, she answered. "Bing Bong?"

"Delight...". He took a deep breath. "Did Riley tell you what happened at school today?"

His words automatically sent alarm bells ringing in Delight's head. "Riley didn't call me."

"You mean she's not there with you?"

The alarm bells rang louder. "She's not at the school?!"

"She ran off—"

Delight nearly dropped the phone in hands flew to her mouth, keeping in her screams of despair. She didn't think anything like this would happen with Riley. True, Delight had some certainties that maybe the kids would look at her a little differently...but she didn't expect this!

She dropped to the floor and hurriedly grabbed her phone. She quickly looked over her speed dial before slamming a finger onto a contact.

* * *

Another class had been finished, and Joy was lounging around in the recreation room of the university. Her books scattered around her, she laid against a chair while a big TV was one for resting students to be entertained. The smile remained on her face since she left Riley at school. She could only imagine how well her best friend was doing in class, especially with Mr. Bing Bong.

She felt a vibration in the pocket of her dress and reached for it. Checking and noticing it was her mom, she laid her ear against the receiver.

"Yeah?" she asked casually.

The smile immediately fell from her face.

* * *

Maybe Riley didn't entirely think this through...

She had been wandering the streets of the city for who knew how long. She had hoped home would just be around a corner or something. But this was just like last time.

At least it wasn't raining.

While she felt running had been the best solution to just escape the torment and everything that was school, Riley was without anything. Or anyone. For starters, she possessed no phone yet, so simply calling Joy or Delight was out of the question. And she was practically starving, the burn of her belly from the fight made her famished, and she had no money; Joy or Delight always paid for her meals. Worst, her jacket had been left back at school, and it was starting to get a bit windy out here.

Stopping to take a breath, she leaned against a nearby wall, the neon signs flickering over her eyes. She had no idea how long she had running, but hopefully enough that school already ended. After this she probably wouldn't ever go back there again.

She should have listened to Aggravation. He had constantly told her the troubles school would give her. He had been right; she had struck fear with her student body. Worse, she actually fought! She never even knew she _could_ fight! She knew she could kick, but this was a whole new level!

She gazed across the street. She was unsure if this was familiar or not. She wished Joy or Delight was here...

Riley drew her knees up to her chest, tears beginning to blur her vision even as her eye throbbed in pain. Her body ached all over from the fight, and she was utterly lost with no one to turn to. It seemed like whenever she saw something she thought was familiar, the next turns she took proved her wrong.

She began to wonder if returning home was even a good idea right now. No doubt Delight would have heard what happened, and she was likely worried sick. And Joy would be too once she found out.

The thought pained Riley greatly, but the emotion part of her that had shown itself was violent. She had succeeded in avoiding other citizens so far, but what if she lashed out and hurt Delight or Joy? That was the absolute last thing she wanted.

But at the same time, she didn't know where else to go. She had eaten her lunch, and she had no phone or money for food. If she stayed how she was now and didn't ever return to where she had safety, she'd likely starve.

She felt a drop of water fell on her head. Then another. She looked upward. It was starting to rain again.

At least then she could try to disguise that she was crying.

* * *

"What do you mean she's gone?!" Joy cried.

"Bing Bong told me Riley got into a fight," Delight explained tearfully. Joy could hear her sniffling. "The kids were all treating her badly and she ended up physically fighting one of them. After that she... she ran off and Bing Bong thought she might have come home, b-but...".

"We gotta go find her, Mom!" Joy exclaimed, gathering her things as quickly as she could. The sky was darkening with clouds, and rain could be heard on the windows.

Joy decided to email her teachers and explain. Finding Riley, wherever she was, was most important.

First day of school for her could be another day. Right now she needed to save Riley. Joy's only explanation through the emails were the words _family emergency_.

She rushed down the campus, trying not crash into people. Making her way to the parking lot to find her car, she could feel raindrops fall on her blue hair. She gasped in alarm; this was just like before!

She had sent texts to both Fear and Sadness, hoping maybe they would cover more ground. Joy almost wanted to text Anger and Disgust, but a bitter feeling was still present. And the last thing Joy wanted was her best friend associating people who might hurt her in some form again.

And even if she did call, they probably wouldn't want to help. Especially Anger...

Zooming straight out of the campus parking lot, Joy furiously wondered how Riley's day could have turned out like this. She had done nothing wrong, and all she wanted was a good education and to associate with kids her age. Well, kids were cruel, and Joy had a right mind to tell off whoever hurt Riley like that. She just hoped that once she found Riley, Joy would fix everything and help mend her wounds. Knowing her best friend, she would probably give up on school and refuse to associate with it after the horrid first day experience.

At least Mr. Bing Bong had been there for her, just as he had promised. He had done a great job protecting Riley. Now it was Joy's and Delight's turn to bring their family member home.

She turn on her windshield wipers as the rain began to grow heavier. She bit her lip as the plunking sound of drops became louder upon the glass. Riley was out there somewhere, and she was going to get sick at this rate! Worse, her band might decrease from being so upset. And from what Joy learned, it was _a lot_ to be upset about.

She daringly rolled down her window, ignoring the water that splashed in her face as she poked her head out.

 **"RILEY!"** she called toward the empty streets.

* * *

The blonde hardly blinked as drops slid down her forehead. Her hair was drenched with rain, and her clothes were ice cold from the air. Yet somehow the cold didn't bother her this time...

She didn't even bother to look over her arm band. It was obvious it was decreasing; this was just like last time anyway. Sighing, she closed her eyes.

She began to imagine back in her warm bed, in Joy's arms, nothing but just home...

The more Riley thought about home, the more she missed its warmth. Warmth and light that the increasing rain was jarring from her thoughts. If she ever got back home, she'd stay there.

But the questions began to haunt her mind. Could she really call that her home? After all, as much as she wished it, she wasn't Delights daughter in the same way that Joy was.

Was the lab her home? She had been "born" there, after all.

But all her questions kept circling back to one: why did she exist?

For little purpose, if what she had heard was any indication. She was just a way to see of combining life material from Earth and Terracordis could result in something.

Well, it had.

But was that the only reason for her to exist now? Just to be observed and talked about, with Aggravation wanting her kept in the lab as a showing of "We did this just to show we could"?

What if Aggravation and the others, even Delight, were just planning to discard her eventually? After all, they created her, good for them. Were they just wondering how long she would hold up?

Were they expecting her to die all along?

She glanced down at her armband, the numbers decreasing as a beeping started to sound. It at reached 85 and was dropping. She felt as if something, her structure, was starting to seem a little light. Her skin grew paler, and she felt like it was becoming harder to sit up. And not just from utter exhaustion in running.

She looked upward, her throat dry as she forced herself to speak.

"Why do I exist?"

The sound of thunder was her only answer.

* * *

Joy picked up her phone the moment it rang.

"Joy, any sign of her?"

Joy's expression fell, hoping Fear had called with knees that he had found Riley. "No! I tried looking over in the alleys where I found her last time, but—"

"Sadness told me she's not at the park," Fear said, sounding like he was out of breath. "I hope she's alright!"

"Last time this happened she nearly DIED!" Joy shouted. "And that was when just Anger said that... if what Mr. Bing Bong said was true...". Joy tried to hold back tears. "I-I gotta go keep looking, Fear!"

Joy hung up, the rain coming down even harder. She had parked her car and was running through the streets as much as she could, terrified at what might happen.

" **RILEY! WHERE ARE YOU?!** "

And what terrified Joy was the lingering thought that Riley was too far gone to answer.

Last time had been a close call. With time going by so fast, Joy feared for the worst. Deep down she had been worried about how Riley's first day of school would go. After all, the yellow emotion had met the worst it had to offer, although her bright attitude was able to win over so easily.

The positivity was hardly balanced for Riley, given that a lot of people still looked at her like a loose animal. Now people her age had said the worst, and Joy grew more frightened that this was an even more lasting effect than what Anger had done.

Her bare feet splashed through the rain, not caring how cold she was with the possibility of actually getting sick. A small price to pay when Riley was practically going to be at a much lower level by the time she was even found.

That is, if Joy could find her in time...

"Riley!" she called out once more, rain pouring over her blue hair, causing the upward style to fall.

Slicked against her head and shoulders, Joy furiously wiped rain from her eyes before peering at the empty streets once more. Deja vu...

Her mom was somewhere on the other side of the city, searching endlessly as Joy was. Panic had already been informed, and he knew under these conditions Riley would need another trip to the lab. It was cold, wet, and no doubt it added more weight to the depression the poor girl already suffered.

Once Joy found her, she would make things right. So would Mr. Bing Bong. She was a thousand times grateful for his trying in making Riley feel more accepted. He had done his best to make this a truly good first day for Riley, but kids with judgment just had to tear her down.

Joy believed in a little thing called karma. It would come very soon for them, she hoped.

"Riley!" she screamed higher.

The yellow emotion yelped as she tripped over her own feet. Landing face first into a huge puddle of water, she groaned, having hit right at her stomach. Wincing, she clutched herself, whimpering in agony. Not from the pain, but for Riley.

If anyone happened to her, Joy would never forgive herself for trying harder...

Slowly picking herself up, she wiped her face, which had been coated with a little mud. She bowed her head, on the verge of crying herself. She just wanted her best friend back...

A soft sob broke out.

However, that didn't come from Joy's mouth.

The yellow emotion's eyes widened, recognizing that familiar soft tone anywhere. She got to her feet, following straight, the nose guiding her.

 _Please be there...please be there..._ she thought drastically.

She skidded to a halt at a nearby closed shop, it's neon lights hurting her vision. She nearly tripped but she didn't care. She gawked at the sight with both relief and horror.

Her best friend. Leaning against the wall, head bowed. Band said 75.

"Riley!" Joy cried out as she dropped to her knees and crawled toward her.

This time the blonde weakly looked up. Her face was pale, yet it warmed a bit at the sight of the yellow emotion.

"Joy..." she murmured dryly.

Wasting no time gathering Riley in her arms, Joy held her close to her chest. Riley buried her face against Joy's barely glowing skin. Fresh tears fell along with the rain.

"It's okay...it's okay..." Joy assured her gently, rubbing her back.

"School was awful..." Riley whimpered. "I hate it..."

"I'm so sorry what happened..." Joy sniffed, stroking her head. "But I promise, Mom and I will fix things. So will Mr. Bing Bong."

Riley slowly lifted her head, looking at her best friend. A ghost of a smile appeared on her bruised lips.

"Y-you were right about him...He's the best..."

Joy's expression softened, laying a hand on Riley's cold cheek. She was practically ice in her arms.

"Joy..." the blonde moaned.

The emotion's eyes widened in shock as Riley leaned further against her chest, almost as if her weight was too much for her.

"So tired..." she murmured, closing her eyes.

Joy hugged her close, trying her best to keep her from the rain. She didn't have her jacket. Neither did Joy.

But she did bring her phone, and she immediately called her mom. The call was answered instantly, followed by a frightened voice on the other end.

"Mom..." Joy breathed, getting colder by the minute, "I found her. I'm going to bring her to the lab. Get Panic ready."

Quickly hanging up, Joy lifted Riley in her arms. The girl was practically light as a pillow as the emotion carried her through the rain back to her car. She would make sure the heater was on and the ride fast but comfortable as possible.

Riley struggled to keep her eyes open, fearing that if if she let herself sleep she would never wake up. The curled in on herself in the backseat, trying to stay warm as the heater was on full blast.

Joy's hands tensed on the wheel, afraid to look back and see what Riley's percentage was. She knew it was decreasing by the minute.

It pained her heart as she realized that her love and devotion toward Riley might be the only reason Riley was desperately clinging to life now. And she was more glad than ever that she and her mom had taken Riley in to give her a sense of belonging.

"Just hold on, Riley!" Joy insisted, wishing that every red light would turn green as they drew close. "We'll get you better soon!"

Riley murmured in response.

Finally pulling up to the lab, Joy opened the back of the car and lifted Riley out. She gasped.

Riley seemed literally light as a feather, but cold and pale and her outline was distinctly more fuzzy. Joy glanced at her armband and her fear fueled her speed.

It was at 59. With Riley's makeup nearly holding together at only a little more than half it's strength, she wouldn't make it past half-stability!

Pure terror gripped Joy's heart as as she sprinted to the front of the lab, then raced up the stairs. She hurried as fast as she could to the lab, where her mom and the others were frantically working at the controls.

"MOM!"

Delight swiftly took one look at Riley and just about screamed, hurrying over. "RILEY, NO!". She raced over, horrified at seeing her like this and noticing she wasn't even moving.

She cradled the stiff blonde's face in her hands, Riley's eyes barely open as she looked up at Delight.

"She's ice cold!" Delight cried.

Riley moaned, every movement a challenge for her. She managed to look up at Delight. She tried to smile, but that prove to be a challenge as well.

"M-Mom..." she was able to speak.

Delight as in tears as she caressed Riley's head. Wet and cold, two things a mother did not want to feel upon her child.

"It's okay, baby..." she cooed woefully. "I'm here...I'm here..."

Panic joined her, his eyes hitting the ceiling as he stared at Riley. He carefully reached over and took her from Joy, carrying her in his arms. He pressed two fingers to the side of her neck, checking her pulse.

"We got to get her into the container!" he said frantically before hurrying her over to the spot.

Delight was hard at work, glancing from the controls to her second daughter. Riley looked snow white, her links barely holding any pink to their color. The only part of her body that still shone was when Riley opened her eyes to look at Delight. That was the warmest she was able to muster, especially when she finally was reunited with the one she called mom.

Joy stood before the container, watching as Riley was hooked up to over more than a dozen wires. The emotion pressed closer, as the machine switched on. She didn't even blink as her best friend began to suspend as she had done before. The glow of the container indicated the charging had begun. Joy didn't even bother to look at the band on Riley's arm. She knew it was much lower than before.

Panic stared at the charts, then breathed a sigh of relief. "She's going to be fine..." He turned to a dismayed yet relieved Delight. "The charging will take much longer, however..."

Delight nodded at this before turning to Joy. The young emotion pressed her hand to the container, not breaking her gaze with Riley. No one had to tell her Riley needed to stay here overnight. Delight would get the sleeping bag ready.

"This is exactly what I had been afraid of..."

The mother of two turned and was surprised to find Aggravation beside her. However, his expression was neither callous nor stern. His eyes fell on the container, gazing at Riley with some very rare sympathetic details on his face.

"She tries to interact with the world, the world pushes her back..." he went on.

Delight averted her gaze. She hated to admit that he was right. But it had been Riley's first day of school, neither had thought it would be this bad!

Aggravation sighed, rubbing his head. "I know you mean well, Delight," he said. "You're the one who's been able to keep this team together when we nearly wanted to rip each other's faces off."

She finally looked at him, surprised by this completely mellow side of his. Given his usual demeanor, it was easy to forget had one to begin with.

"I know you really like that kid," he went on, "and I know you're trying to do Ri some good here."

He still wouldn't use her new name. That didn't surprise her.

"But see what happened? This is the third time she's been like this. The world is dangerous, but she doesn't know it until she puts herself there. You know that, we've all been to the same school."

Panic overheard this, his heart deflating a little as she kept eyes on Riley's stability levels. It was making its way very slowly, but they had all night and the next morning.

Aggravation finally turned to Delight, his expression solemn with a hint of pity.

"I think the best thing to do is pull her out of that dang school," he told her. "That way no one will hurt her. And she won't hurt anyone."

Delight looked from Aggravation to the container, her gaze resting on her second daughter suspended in the container and her first with her hand pressed up against the glass. All she and Joy had wanted was for Riley to help get an education, make new friends, and experience more of the world.

For Joy, it would help Riley be more social. For Delight, it would further prepare Riley for her life on Earth.

But this first day had gone awful for her. She had been ridiculed, shunned, and had gotten into a fight with a classmate.

Delight knew that if they pulled Riley out of the school, there was a chance she would become more withdrawn and more dependent on her and Joy. And it would be that much harder for them to let her go when the time came. But if Riley stayed in the school, her physical and emotional state could get worse due to the treatment of the others.

It was best to give Riley the happiest chance she could.

Delight looked at Aggravation again and nodded. "I'll call the administrative office and let them know." She sighed. "Perhaps I could homeschool her."

Aggravation nodded. "That would be best." He paused, glancing quickly over at Joy and Riley before gesturing for Delight to follow him. He wanted to make sure Joy didn't hear. Once he was certain they were out of earshot, he spoke again. "Did you show her that book on humanity that you have?"

She nodded. "I wanted to... ease her into it. Better to take it slow at this rate." She felt a pang at her heart at the thought of having to send Riley away, but they had taken an oath as part of the project. It was better to slowly introduce her to the world rather than breaking the news to her all at once.

"And?" Aggravation sat down. "How did Ri react?"

Knowing how firm Aggravation was about the name, Delight didn't bother correcting him. "She seemed a bit intrigued since they looked like her, but she seems a bit..." she searched her mind for the right word, "unsettled. She likes it here."

Aggravation frowned deeply. "That's a problem. I had hoped that seeing others who are more like her would convince her to go. You're telling me it's only pushing her further away?"

Delight nodded, a bit regretful. "Earth unnerves her, and now with the way she's been treated here, she seems to just want to stay with me."

"It doesn't matter how fond you are of her," Aggravation insisted, his voice a bit more firm. "You'll have to let her go."

Delight shut her eyes, hearing Joy quietly talk to Riley about the holidays in the later part of the year. To think Riley might not even get to experience them... and Joy had no idea.

She didn't want to imagine the look of betrayal and heartbreak on their faces when she eventually broke the news.

"Your daughter brought her into too much interaction with this world, so she got used to it," Aggravation said. "Now it's time to amend that and continue to ease her into it."

"Can't she at least stay til New Year's?" Delight found herself pleading. She always loved those latter holidays best, and wanted Riley to experience them as anyone on Terracordis did.

"You're delaying the inevitable, Delight!"

For a moment, the two stared at each other. Finally Delight turned away and sighed, walking to get a sleeping bag for Joy.

"... I know."

The red-orange emotion watched her walk away as if from a fight. Ri could have done the same thing at school, but instincts told her to show her true worth.

Of course, Aggravation understood what the mother of soon to be only one felt. He couldn't imagine what would happen if he had to give up his own child.

She loved Ri like she loved Joy, that was the thing about this project. In fact, she fell in love with the child before she had even been "born". Shortly before the project had been proposed, Delight and her husband had often talked about having more children. Straight after they married, they had a hard year trying to have their first one.

Joy originally was to be named Miracle. But their "bundle of joy" meant the world to them nevertheless.

Delight often told the others how she and her husband had recently thought of perhaps adopting. But so far public homes were, unlike the human world, bare of children and were currently caring for pregnant teens, out of work, and especially the elderly. Amazing how different and perfect their world was compared to Earth...

When Ri first came along, Delight had felt like the day she gave birth to Joy. And seeing the two girls clicked brought her nothing but happiness, the same which she was sure her husband would feel once he met Ri.

Unfortunately, he wouldn't arrive in time to see the daughter he _formerly_ had...

Aggravation sighed, rubbing his head once more as he gazed out the window. It was raining much harder now, and there was thunder. Yet lights still glowed in the depressing atmosphere. Soon the colors would become more vibrant, followed by expensive decoration, and soon trees would be put up and making travel more difficult for pedestrians and cars.

The kid would probably love the experience of holidays in this world...Thanksgiving, Christmas... he was sure she'd love Halloween too...

But he was sure she would have better on Earth. While there were obvious things that differed this one from that planet of humans, Aggravation was certain Ri's new life would be more promising.

She would go to a better school where no one would call her a freak. Maybe make a lot more friends, more than she could have asked for here. And probably a family if she was lucky. If they found the right place for her to grow and do what she was created for.

It could all work out...

Delight bent down as Joy snuggled inside her sleeping bag. She smiled warmly at her daughter before looking at the other one who was in her container.

Riley was looking less pale and more colored now. Having suspended for a few hours, the process was still very slow. Almost as if Riley was refusing to go at a higher rate. Delight couldn't blame her.

"You comfy, sweetheart?" she told Joy.

The yellow emotion yawned. Delight had brought her dinner from the luncheon which consisted of a turkey sandwich and hot soup and some soda to wash it down. The mother wished she could have brought pizza for Riley.

"Yeah," Joy murmured tiredly. "I'm good."

Stroking her daughter's blue hair, she leaned down and kissed her forehead. Joy smiled at this before both looked back at the container.

"She'll be okay," Delight promised her. "Soon as she wakes up and we're done checking on her, we'll all go home."

"Okay, mom," Joy said, her eyes barely closing.

Delight watched Riley for some time, thinking over what Aggravation had said.

Once her girls were awake, Delight would let her know the news. She would first speak with Bing Bong on the matter and hope he understood. He had been a good friend to her and the others all these years, he had the right to be the first to know. And he could come over to the house and tutor Riley. After all, it would be like she had all her classes with just him, and no one to talk bad about her.

Delight kept the positive things in mind. All that mattered was that Riley was okay, her girls were together again. And Riley would spend more time at home with them as well. Everything would be fine.

Everything afterward, she was still unsure.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, hopefully the next day will turn out better for them. See ya next chapter!**


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